Only In My Dreams
by karenefron
Summary: A Troyella with a twist. What would happen if they fell in love at the ski resort and she moved to Albuquerqe but was put in a different homerooom? Will they eventually meet again? Or lose each other in the maze of East High? Rated M for later steaminess.
1. Chapter 1

**Okay so I have never done this before so I don't know what disclaimers I should add...so I will just say that I do not own HSM or any of the lines from it that appear in this story. Or Zac Efron...sadly.**

Chapter One

Gabriella Montez exhaled with relief as she entered the warm lobby. Firelight from the nearby fireplace flickered on the softly lit walls, and small groups of people were scattered around in comfortable chairs, talking quietly and enjoying hot chocolate with marshmallows as the snow fell lightly outside. Making her way quickly across the room towards the empty sofa she had spotted, Gabriella gave silent thanks that she had found some time and space to be on her own with her book.

It was New Year's Eve and Gabriella and her mother were enjoying a short break at the ski lodge on their way to their new home in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Much as she adored her mother's company, Gabriella was glad to be on her own for a little while. She'd always needed this – to take a little time out of her day to relax and 'recharge', as she put it. And it was always hard to find her alone time during these periods of progression from one 'home' to the next.

Sighing luxuriously, she pushed her long chocolate brown waves behind one ear as she snuggled into the cushions, tucking her fleece lined boots beneath her. Within moments she was happily absorbed in her novel, oblivious to the mounting excitement surrounding her as the rest of the world counted down the few remaining hours to midnight.

* * *

Troy Bolton hastily pulled the blue basketball jersey over his tousled brown head, before quickly stuffing his feet into his sneakers. His dad had just stopped by his room at the ski lodge where they were spending a few days over the Christmas break and they had together conspired to squeeze in a few hoops before that evening's New Year's Eve party. Stuffing his room key into his pocket, Troy slipped through the door and sprinted down the hallway.

At sixteen Troy was the perfect picture of male teenage America. His five foot ten frame was kept perfectly fit and toned by the rigorous basketball schedule he maintained. He was well liked among his peers, and kept his grades respectable in school. To any outsider, it appeared he had it all – great family, great friends. He excelled in all sports, and was captain of his high school basketball team, the East High Wildcats. Of whom his father was the coach – hence the last minute basketball rendezvous. Actually, Troy reflected as he made his way through the busier parts of the lodge, slowing a little now out of consideration to the people in the hallways, any given moment in his life could be a last minute basketball rendezvous. He picked up speed again as he began to approach the tiny gym located in the basement of the lodge.

All of a sudden he arrived and swung himself through the door, nearly slamming into it in his hurry. His father was nowhere in sight, so tossing his room key carelessly towards the far wall he scooped up a lone basketball lying on the court and in one fluid motion propelled himself towards the basket and neatly dunked the ball. The small gym echoed with the noise of his feet landing lightly on the floor as he leaned forward to grab the ball and swept around to his left, dribbling the ball twenty feet or so from the basket before launching again. The ball flew beautifully through the air, passing through the net with nothing but a soft swish.

* * *

Jack Bolton arrived at the door to the gym and stopped before taking a step inside. Leaning against the doorjamb, he watched his son for a few moments. Troy had definite talent, and that was more than just fatherly bias speaking. Troy caught sight of his father out of the corner of his eye and planted one more ball through the hoop before turning around, welcoming Jack with his wide friendly grin famous for its ability to make teenage girls weak at the knees. Unsurprisingly, it did not have this affect on Jack, but he always enjoyed watching his son play the game they both loved.

'Hey buddy! Lookin' good!' Jack greeted Troy. He made a quick fake to the right before swinging around to the left and stealing the ball from Troy. Showing off, he made a few turns and fancy steps before making for the basket down the far end of the room.

Troy grinned before muttering under his breath, 'I don't think so.' Playfully, yet determinedly, he came up swiftly behind Jack and stole the ball just as they reached the hoop, twisting in the air and slamming the ball through the hoop to the delighted howls of his father. As Troy landed they high-fived, all pretence at competition dropped.

'You're in great shape buddy, we're going to need you to bring all you got for the game.'

There was no need for Troy to enquire _which_ game. Only one game had been in his – and his father's – thoughts for some time now.

'You know I'll bring it, Dad. But there's more than just me in this team.' Troy's easy smile robbed his words of any resentment.

'I know Troy, but you're the leader. You've gotta –'

Troy cut short his father's well known 'motivational' speech.

"I know Dad, I know. Now – did we come down here for a D&M, or did we come to shoot some hoops?'

Jack smiled cheekily. 'Well, you know, I wanted to take it easy on you. Didn't want to make you feel bad right before a big game – "

Before Jack could finish his sentence Troy had snatched the ball and was away, dribbling his way down the mini-court. Throwing a grin – a challenge – over his shoulder he quickly ran down the length of the room with Jack in hot pursuit.

* * *

'Gabi. It's New Year's Eve. Enough reading.'

The sound of her mother's voice drew Gabriella from her solitary reverie.

Looking up, she watched as her mother gently took her book from her hands. Inwardly she sighed before offering a token resistance.

'But Mom I've almost done, and –"

'The teen party?" Her mother interrupted. They had discussed this earlier; Gabriella knew her mom worried about her spending so much time studying (even over semester breaks) that she had agreed to go. 'I've laid out your best clothes. Come get ready.'

'Can I have my book back?' Gabriella pleaded. Her mother hesitated only briefly before handing it back.

Gabriella smiled sweetly.

'Thank you.' She rose then, and moved to follow her mom to their suite upstairs.

Fifteen minutes later Gabriella stood in front of the mirror gazing at herself doubtfully. She mostly didn't spend a lot of time considering her appearance but... sometimes she wondered if she'd spent so much time educating her brain that she hadn't left it any time to be just ... well, just a girl. Her intelligent gaze took in her pale green sweater, dotted with tiny crystals, and the slim fitting black pants she'd chosen to go with it. Suddenly her flash of self doubt was gone. She actually looked pretty hot, and she was smart enough to be able to admit it. Grabbing her bag...and her book...on her way out, Gabriella stopped only long enough to deliver a swift kiss goodbye to her mother before moving through the door and closing it gently behind her.

A few minutes later Gabriella stepped somewhat tentatively into the Freestyle Club, where the teen party was being held. All around teenagers were talking, laughing, and generally enjoying themselves. A tall boy in a red oversized cowboy hat tipped his head to her.

'Howdy, mam,' he parodied.

Gabriella giggled and continued moving through the crowd, arriving at a vacant seat behind the karaoke podium that had been set up. Glancing around, she settled herself in and quickly retrieved her book and opened it on her lap. Oblivious to the swirling lights, music and party noise surrounding her she was soon absorbed in her reading.

* * *

Across the room the east door opened and Troy stepped through. Their impromptu one-on-one game had been cut short by his mother, who had insisted that he put in an appearance at the kids party. Young adults, he corrected himself wryly, much as she had done almost two hours before. Troy had taken his time showering and getting ready, not really keen on the idea of coming at all, and had managed to delay his arrival until after eleven.

Looking around, he wandered over towards a temporary stage that had been set up in the middle of the room. A couple of kids he recognised as fellow snowboarders were belting out some karaoke.

"...I wanna be your everything/baby keep me in your arms."

The song came to an end just as he reached a group of people standing near the stage. Glancing around at the people in the club he stuffed his hands in his pockets. He didn't see anyone he recognised from the few short days they had spent there. He wriggled uncomfortably in his dark brown sports jacket, not used to such attire.

'All right! How 'bout that for a couple of snowboarders!!' A man that Troy assumed to be the teen activities coordinator joined the singers on stage. A sprinkling of applause and a few enthusiastic cheers rippled through the crowd, and the girl who had been singing dropped a mock curtsey.

'Now who's going to rock the house next?' The man on stage looked around expectantly for volunteers. None being forthcoming, two spotlights started to dance around the dimly lit room.

Troy looked around with everyone else, stifling a yawn. At that precise moment, just as he had turned away from the stage, the spotlight hit him and he was flooded with light. He froze, instantly realising that they were expecting him to get up and sing.

Troy barely registered that the other spotlight had also chosen a victim. Around him, people started cheering and encouraging him to go up.

'I can't sing. No, you go." Troy said, as the boys closest to him tried to push him towards the stage. 'Look, I don't sing. I can't sing. No, guys -' One final push propelled Troy almost all the way to the stage, and he gave in unwillingly. Stepping up, he registered that his fellow singer was a young dark haired girl, about his own age, but he did not pay much attention to her. He was too concerned about his own forthcoming performance. The coordinator made some inane comment, causing Troy to look at him with a combination of annoyance and confusion – he had no idea what the guy was on about. Wiping his sweaty palms on his jeans, he focused on the screen. The music started to play and he began.

'Livin' in my own world...didn't understand' he cleared his throat nervously before continuing.

'That anything can happen/when you take a chance"

At that moment the ridiculousness of the situation struck him. Who was he kidding? He wasn't a _singer_! Turning, he made to move off the stage, when he was stopped in his tracks by _the voice_.

'I never believed in/what I couldn't see...'

Her voice was so sweet, so pure, he couldn't conceive the angels in heaven singing any more beautifully. Slowly he turned back towards the microphones and the girl who had been picked to sing with him. Really looking at her for the first time he realised that she was every bit as beautiful as her voice. His gaze took in her delicate body, her golden skin. Long dark hair hung in waves down her back, and the large chocolate brown eyes were framed by long, delicate black lashes. But he was struck by her lips... full, gentle lips, from which that mesmerizing voice was coming. He stepped back towards her as she continued.

'Never opened my heart...'

Troy willingly surrendered himself entirely to the song, the atmosphere, the sound of her voice, and added his own in harmony. 'Oh-hh'

'To all the possibilities...'

Finally she looked at him and offered a tiny smile. In that instant he knew two things. The first, she was absolutely terrified to be standing up there singing. And the second? Troy Bolton was officially smitten.

* * *

Gabriella lay in her bed later that night, her head spinning. So much had happened; she could barely keep it straight in her own head. First, she, with the world's biggest case of stage fright, had actually gotten up in front of all those people and sung! She loved to sing but could rarely bring herself to do it in front of an audience. But maybe because it was New Years, maybe it was the party atmosphere, maybe it was something to do with letting go in a place where no one knew her, no one would see her again – whatever the reason, something made her get up there.

She also couldn't stop thinking about who she'd been up there _with_. Troy Bolton was ... amazing. So much more than amazing, but as articulate as she was she just couldn't find the words to describe him and how he made her feel. Right from the moment he had taken her hand as he introduced himself, she had felt a thrill run through her. Her whole body tingled and her heart sang; a feeling that had not dissipated. This alien feeling had been what had caused her to cut their conversation short and leave him suddenly. They had been standing outside after their song, drinking hot chocolate and talking animatedly when midnight had struck. She remembered how the sky had filled with fireworks and the icy air had been filled with the sounds of people wishing each other a happy new year and exchanging kisses of celebration. Their conversation had halted with the fireworks and suddenly they were gazing into each other's eyes. She remembered how she had lost herself in his deep blue eyes and had begun to experience a whole range of feelings unfamiliar to her. Chief amongst which, she had suddenly realised, was the desperate desire to be kissed by him. This thought had jolted her from the depths of his eyes and had caused her to suddenly stammer out an excuse about wanting to go and wish her mother a happy new year.

She had left in a hurry, but not before he had asked for her number. Gabriella hugged herself, remembering the bolt of delight that had struck her body at his suggestion. They had exchanged numbers, and she had hurried off. Now, more than three hours later, she was still tingling at the thought of him and totally unable to sleep. Rolling on her side, she tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear and smiled as she remembered his promise to call. Slowly, her smiled faltered as she remembered where she was. Where she was on her way _to_. Albuquerque, New Mexico, was probably a million miles away from wherever Troy lived. There were only two more days before she and her mother were due to leave the resort for the middle of the desert, only two more days to try to see him again.

_It's not fair, _she told herself silently, rebelliously. _I feel like this for the first time in my life, and it's a boy who I don't even know and never will get a chance to know..._

_Stop. _Her voice of reason intruded firmly. She had never enjoyed the fact that her mother's job involved them moving every year, sometimes even more often. But she had never allowed herself to dwell on it or feel sorry for herself. Besides, that didn't really have much impact on her current situation. It didn't matter where they were going; the chances of it being to wherever Troy lived were like a billion to one. She tried to work that out – math problems always calmed her when she was worried or upset. If she calculated, say, the number of cities in America, and called that _x_, then the probability of her living in the same place was _x_:1...

She began to feel a little calmer. What was wrong with her? She didn't even know this guy...

No. She didn't know him. But somehow, with the part of her that was all woman, she knew what it was that he made her feel.

And she wanted more.

**A/N**

**I posted this here because I wanted some feedback on my writing - other from my bestie. So please be honest, I'd love feedback on my style etc. Remember, your reviews will determine whether I continue on Fanfiction or not!! And I know that nothing happened here that wasn't in the movie but trust me, I am building towards something.**

**thankyou thankyou!!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I don't own HSM or Zac Efron. If I did I would be in bed with him and not writing fanfiction.**

Chapter 2

Troy was out of bed by six the following morning. Not that he'd slept; the events of the evening before had been running madly around and around his head. If he didn't know better he'd say that he'd fallen in –

Troy stopped suddenly in shock. What was going on with him? He'd seen this girl for like half an hour and suddenly he was having all these thoughts, thoughts he'd never had before about _anyone_.

As always when his head was in turmoil, he was making for the basketball court. Bounding lightly down the stairs, he pondered exactly what had happened last night. After their song, he had introduced himself – and had been floored by the spark of electricity that had spread through his body as he had shaken her hand. He had been rendered almost speechless. Only the thought, the _need, _to not have her go away so soon had given him the ability to suggest they get a cup of hot chocolate. Their time together had flown, and the next thing he had known she had been making an excuse to leave him. He had been in too much of a daze to remember a word of their conversation, but he did vividly and thankfully remember asking for her phone number. As he approached the gym he checked his watch. Half past six. Still too early to consider calling her.

He drew a breath and began to jog slowly around the court, warming up his muscles. Since he had no way of seeing her for at least a couple of hours, he would give his body a workout like never before. It would, he reflected with an unconscious smile, release some of the tension he had been feeling since they had parted the night before. He very delicately did not question himself as to exactly what kind of tension needed releasing – but if he had he would have had a suspicion the electricity that had been coursing through his body – every _part_ of his body - since their meeting might have something to do with it. He had to see her again, and soon.

After an hour on the court Troy returned to his room. He had removed his shirt and was about to make for the shower when he heard a knock on the door. For and instant he wondered if it might be Gabriella and his heart leapt. Then he remembered that she had no way of knowing where his room was. He opened the door to see his mother standing there.

'Hi Mom,' He leaned over and kissed her cheek. 'Happy new year. I looked for you and dad last night but that party was packed so I gave up. Did you have a good time?'

Lucille followed Troy as he turned and walked back into the room. He turned when he reached the bed and she returned his kiss on the cheek.

"Happy new year, sweetie. That party _was_ a little overcrowded, I think especially so for your father. You know he isn't really into that sort of thing.' She smiled wryly. "He'd rather be on the court with his number one basketball star son.'

Troy grinned. "Can't say I blame him for that."

Lucille ruffled his hair playfully. 'Why am I not surprised?' she asked the ceiling.

'You just get back from working out?" she asked, changing the subject.

"Yeah," Troy replied. "I couldn't sleep so I thought I'd shoot a few."

His mother smiled. "Listen, I just came to tell you that we have to leave for the airport in a little less than an hour so I wanted to make sure you were packed."

Troy raised his eyebrows in surprise.

"But I thought we weren't flying out until this afternoon?"

Lucille nodded. "I know, but the travel agent called me yesterday afternoon and told me the airline had been in touch with her. Something about an overbooked flight. I just haven't had a chance to let you know.' She laughed at the look of dismay on his sculptured face. "Cheer up, kiddo. The slopes will still be here next year. And I know for a fact there's a few Wildcats back home just itching to mix it up with you on the court." she teased.

Troy cleared his throat. "It's not that, Mom. It's just–" He stopped mid-sentence, not yet ready to share something he didn't understand himself. If he'd told his mom that he'd met an amazing girl and didn't want to be parted from her yet – after just a few minutes with her – she'd think he'd snapped his cap. He smiled, wiping any concern from his face.

"You're right. And someone has to get back and give Danforth a run for his money."

Lucille smiled at her beloved son. 'True. So. How 'bout you hit the shower, and we'll meet you down in the lobby in about half an hour. We'll eat breakfast at the airport. Okay?"

Troy nodded as he walked her to the door. 'Okay Mom. See you soon." He closed the door behind her and then leaned his forehead against it for a moment, thinking. How unbelievable that this time yesterday he'd been looking forward to going home, and now he only wanted to stay and spend time with Gabriella Montez. He bit his lip, wondering what he was going to do. He checked his watch again. Almost eight. It wasn't really _that_ early. Maybe he should just give her a call and –

And say what? Hi Gabriella, I'm not a stalker, but we just spent half an hour together and I think I might have fallen in love with you. Would you like to hang out for ten minutes before I have to leave?

Not going to happen. He sighed, turning towards the bathroom. A few minutes later the room filled with steam as he stood letting the hot water run over his tanned, muscled body. He turned his face up towards the intense spray in an attempt to wash away whatever spell he'd been under since meeting her. He didn't really see what else there was to do right at that moment.

* * *

A short time later Troy was standing in the elevator as it slowly sank to the ground floor. He hadn't been packed but it hadn't taken him long to stuff his things into his suitcase. The doors opened at a leisurely pace, and he stepped out into the lobby. He glanced around, part of him still hoping to see Gabriella before he left. His dark-haired dream girl was not present; however, he saw his parents over at the main desk in the process of checking out. He drifted over to them, lugging his suitcase behind.

Jack Bolton turned at his son's approach.

"Happy new year, bud. Have fun last night?"

Troy nodded, not really in the mood to chat. He hoped his father would not continue to question him about the party because he was beginning to feel the desperate need to talk about Gabriella. If he couldn't see her, talk _to_ her, then talking _about_ her was the next best thing. But at the same time he wasn't ready to discuss his feelings yet. He was totally stunned and bewildered by their intensity himself; how could he expect anyone else to understand? His dad would probably think he was crazy. Luckily, Jack was distracted by the clerk's request for his credit card details.

Troy left his suitcase with his parents and wandered away a few feet, taking only a superficial interest in the activity going on around him. A small squad of resort staff were on clean-up detail, quietly vacuuming floors and polishing small tables with various comfy chairs scattered around them. His eyes were drawn to one sofa in particular; he felt and inexplicable, almost uncontrollable desire to go over to it. Looking over his shoulder to make sure his parents were still occupied, he tentatively made his way over to the chair that was drawing him like a magnet. He felt vaguely ridiculous even though no one could read his thoughts. What the hell was going on with him? If this kept up _he_ was going to question his sanity.

He arrived at his destination and sat down uncomfortably. The cleanup crew had not reached that particular area yet; there was a light scattering of party streamers and confetti still littering the table in front of him. He leaned back in the chair and exhaled a breath he hadn't known he'd been holding. Somehow, he began to feel a strange sense of peace settle over him as he sat there. Like he was in the safest place in the world; yet something more as well. _The_ _feeling that he'd expect to find in the arms of the woman he loved_. Abruptly he shook his head to clear these thoughts. He really _was_ losing the plot!

He jammed his fists down either side of himself and pushed down against the sofa cushion, in an attempt to lift his body so he could sit up straighter. His right fist slid into the gap between two cushions and he felt it come into contact with a small piece of stiff cardboard. Drawing it out into the open he examined it and as he did so his jaw dropped.

The small length of cardboard, no more than five or six inches long and two across was a bookmark. A medley of equations and chemical symbols in bright colours was printed on the front; but on the back someone had scrawled six precious words. They read:

_Gabriella Montez. Sun High, San Francisco._

Had he actually just found something belonging to the girl that had haunted his thoughts every minute since they had met?

* * *

Just two floors above Troy, the object of his thoughts stretched like a kitten as she gradually wakened. Gabriella had no idea what time she had eventually dropped off, but the thoughts that had at length closed her eyes were present as she opened them.

Troy.

A smile curved her lips as she thought back to the evening before. She couldn't remember the last time she had had so much fun. She knew much of the pleasant feeling that now occupied her body was thanks to a certain blue-eyed boy; but unlike last night she did not allow her thoughts to stray to the total impossibility of their seeing each other once this vacation came to an end. She sprang out of bed with barely contained delight at the thought of seeing him again that day. He had said he was going to call and she couldn't wait. Her mind still filled with her infatuation (and the cause of it), she skipped lightly off towards the shower in joyful anticipation of what the day would bring.

**A/N**

**Please please share your thoughts on these two chapters with me. I am new to fanfiction and really really want to know what you think – good, bad or ugly. Maybe not ugly. Play nice people. So, while I am aware that there are many more incredible fanfiction stories for you to read to help induce those Troy/Zac (either/or ... not Zac on Troy... that's not my thing) fantasies PLEASE take the time to let me know what you think. Go on, it's easy!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer – I do not own this fabulous set of characters or anything pertaining to the creative rights to HSM. And I only wish I owned Zac.**

Ch 3

The rest of the day passed in a blur for Troy. He had not gotten over his shock of finding the bookmark before his mother had called him over to tell him that their cab had arrived. He had quickly tucked the bookmark in his jeans, and without understanding why he had not been able to resist reaching into his pocket just to touch it from time to time. He barely remembered the trip back home and luckily his parents had not questioned his uncharacteristic silence.

His father turned the car into their driveway the last rays of the Albuquerque winter sun were sinking below the horizon. He felt riddled with guilt for not calling Gabriella. After all, he had promised to call and he _was_ the type of guy who meant what he said. In fact he always got really annoyed at people who said they would call at a particular time and never did. True, the day wasn't over yet, but he still did not know what he was supposed to say. Wasn't it implied when he'd said he'd call her it would be at least from the same _state_? Hadn't the unspoken intention been for them to catch up? How were they supposed to do that when he was back in Albuquerque? He was so absorbed in his thoughts that his mother called his name twice before he looked up.

'Huh?' A slight blush crept over his lightly tanned cheeks as he looked at her. He knew that he'd been totally spaced the whole day and she was bound to suspect something by now.

'I said, can you please help your dad with the luggage? I'm going to fix something for dinner.' She hesitated, wondering if she should broach the fact that something was obviously on his mind. 'Honey? Are you okay? I mean, you –"

Troy interrupted her, offering the closest he could to his normal carefree grin. 'Hey, Mom ... It's cool.'

She wasn't fooled, but it was clear he didn't want to talk about it. "Well, if you're sure." She pulled him towards her in a brief hug and reached up to kiss his forehead, confident that her boy was smart enough to work out whatever was on his mind.

Troy watched his mother go inside, his thoughts drifting back to Gabriella. An uncharacteristic pool of doubt began to spread through him. Was he totally crazy to be so preoccupied with a girl he hardly knew? It wasn't like he was the stalker type, he was just... He sighed. He didn't know what he was. _Infatuated, besotted, love-struck?_ his brain rather unhelpfully supplied. A small smile began to play around the corners of his mouth. It was almost funny in a way. Troy, Wildcats basketball star and hero on campus, totally smitten with a girl he'd met by chance on vacation and actually unable to stop thinking about her and second-guessing himself. He bet Chad would have a chuckle over it, anyway. Because of course he was going to tell Chad. Hell, he thought, his small smile graduating to a full-blown grin, if he didn't tell someone about Gabriella soon he was pretty sure they'd be coming for him with the straightjacket before long. He brushed his hair out of his captivating blue eyes and headed over to where his dad was unloading bags onto the driveway.

* * *

As Troy and his family arrived home Gabriella was sitting alone in her room at the resort. She was sitting at the window seat, staring dreamily out at the lightly falling snow. She heard a knock of the door adjoining her room to her mom's.

'Come in," she called.

Gabriella's mom stepped through the door, offering her daughter a warm smile. 'Hi sweetie. I was just wondering what time you wanted to go down to dinner.'

Gabriella blinked, dragging her thoughts back from where they'd been when her mom had knocked. _On Troy_.

'Oh! Uh...whenever you want, I guess. I'm not really hungry so whatever you decide is fine.'

Maria Montez walked over to the window, moving lightly over the thickly carpeted floor, and joined her daughter on the window seat.

'So...do you want to talk about it?' she questioned softly.

'Huh?' Gabriella's mind had drifted again.

'Gabi, it's me here. You didn't seriously expect that I wouldn't notice that something's been on your mind all day?' Maria smiled knowingly. She and Gabriella had always had a close relationship, more like sisters sometimes than mother and daughter, but even if they had not shared this bond the world's most unobservant person would have been able to see that _something_ had happened. She had had that dreamy look in her eyes all day, and her whole face had positively glowed. Not to mention the fact that she was pulling her phone out of her pocket to check the screen at least every half hour.

Gabriella smiled sweetly, her face lighting up. 'Oh Mom, it was... nothing really.'

Maria laughed. 'From where I'm sitting, honey, it doesn't look like nothing.'

Gabriella hesitated, wondering how much she should say. After all, how much was there _to_ say?

'It's just...um, last night, at the teen party?'

"Yes?" Maria prompted.

"I...well, I was picked to sing some karaoke. And...I did it."

Maria enveloped her daughter in a hug. She knew how her little girl battled with her shyness. "Congratulations honey! I am so proud of you." She released her daughter and sat back, watching her face. That was definitely not the whole story.

"And then...?" She prompted again.

Again Gabriella hesitated, and then, with a giggle, threw caution to the wind.

"Oh Mom, the guy I was picked to sing with, his name is Troy and he is so incredibly amazing!"

Maria raised her eyebrows in amusement. "Oh? And I take it your ... interest ... in this incredibly amazing Troy is more than that of one singer for another?" she teased.

Gabriella felt the heat rising in her cheeks. "I guess so. After our song we had some hot chocolate and talked for a while and that's when I came to wish you a happy new year."

Maria smirked. "Right. And so from the state you've been in today I can draw the conclusion that you have an interest in seeing the incredibly amazing Troy again sometime soon?' she continued to tease unmercifully.

Gabriella felt her cheeks grow redder. 'Mom! Stop calling him that! I just...really liked him." The mood became more serious with her last words.

Maria nodded, not saying anything. She and Gabriella were close enough for Gabriella to simply _feel_ her understanding.

Gabriella chewed her lip. "The only thing is...he said he was going to call. Today. And as of right now ... he hasn't. Should – should I be worried?" She was a little hesitant about asking her mom for this kind of 'boy advice'. They were close, but her newfound awareness for the opposite sex – _Troy_, her brain shouted – was still unfamiliar to her and this flowed through to her conversation with her mother about it.

Maria chuckled. 'Honestly, sweetie, I don't know. It's one of the great mysteries of life why boys don't call when they say they will. Sometimes it means something, often it doesn't.' A thought struck her. 'So where does Troy live?'

Gabriella shifted in her seat. 'Well, that's the thing. I kinda...don't know."

For the second time Maria raised her eyebrows. 'Well...how long is he staying here?"

Gabriella dropped her gaze. "Again I ... don't know."

Maria moved closer and wrapped her daughter in a hug. 'Well, then my advice would be to just leave it at that until he does call.'

'But what if he doesn't?' Gabriella's voice was muffled by her mother's chest.

Maria tipped Gabriella's chin up and looked her in the eyes. "If I know you at all, and your judgement, then I would guess that this Troy is a decent guy, and that he will call. But if he doesn't, well, did you get his number? You could always call him."

Gabriella drew away from her mother with a look of horror. "I couldn't, Mom!"

Maria took Gabriella's hands in hers and gave them a comforting squeeze. "We'll see. You might find the courage if you like him enough."

Gabriella smiled and snuggled back into her mother's arms. She was so lucky to have her mom as one of her best friends.

"Love you, Mom," she whispered.

"Love you too, baby. Now, are you ready to eat?"

Gabriella looked up, her dark eyes shining with love and grattitude. "Ravenous." She stood up, and taking her mom by the hand, they grabbed their purses and headed out the door.

* * *

By the time midnight rolled around, Troy was lying on his bed, totally unable to sleep. Considering he hadn't slept at all the night before either, this was a little strange. For the past few hours he had done his best to keep busy and stop obsessing about Gabriella.

After dinner, he had called Chad, Jason and Zeke, and arranged a game for the following day. Chad had immediately picked up that something was going on.

'Dude – what's up?' he'd asked, after having to recall Troy's attention to their conversation for the third time.

'What? Nothing!' Troy had protested. He could practically hear Chad's smirk over the phone.

'Right. And I'm Albert Einstein. What happened on that vacation?'

'Nothing! I mean ... just snowboarding and stuff dude. What else would happen?' Troy had tried to make his tone casual.

Chad had chuckled. "Hmm. Not sure. A _girl_ maybe? But you're going to tell me about it tomorrow, right?'

Troy had given in. He needed to talk about it anyway, and it was pointless trying to keep this from his closest, best friend.

'Okay, fine! You win!" he had agreed good-naturedly, with more than a little relief. After arranging for Chad to arrive a little earlier than the other guys the following day, he had quickly called the others and organised for them to come over around two.

After that, he had watched a little tv in his room, and unpacked, after which he had carefully and meticulously tidied his room.

He had been _really_ desperate to keep busy and stop thinking about Gabriella. But now, lying in his bed in the dark, there was no escape.

If he was honest with himself, he felt pretty guilty for his thoughts. He couldn't help wondering if it was wrong to be so fixated by a girl he hardly knew. If she knew his thoughts, would she be freaked out? He had been so consumed by his own enormous rush of feelings the whole time they had been together that he could not remember registering any clues as to how _she_ felt. Not to mention the guilt he felt about not calling her. He had almost sent a text instead, just to let her know he was thinking of her and would call tomorrow, but somehow that hadn't seemed right either. He really needed to hear her voice. And he still didn't know what he'd say when he did call.

He shifted uncomfortably, rolling over onto his side. As he moved to tuck his arm below his pillow his hand once again came into contact with Gabriella's bookmark. He had placed it there earlier in an attempt to keep it close while he slept, yet keep it safe. Drawing it out he gazed at her delicate, feminine script in the dim light filtering through his curtains. Just holding something belonging to her brought her image to his mind, clear as it had been when she had been next to him as they were standing outside at midnight. He remembered how her lips had parted slightly and her breath had become almost imperceptibly erratic, how her sweet chocolate brown eyes had gazed up at him. He remembered how his own breath had caught in the instant he had lost the battle he'd been fighting since the moment he had first heard her sing, the battle he'd been fighting to stop himself from taking her in his muscular arms and losing himself in her kiss.

And he remembered how, a split second before he had been about to reach for her, she had stepped away. His body had howled at the sense of loss, even before he registered her words about going to find her mom. With a massive amount of self control, he had managed to answer her in kind, and gather his wits enough to ask for her number. He hadn't even said goodbye, he was still in the process of saving her number to his phone when she had quietly slipped away. He had just gazed at her photo in his phone, before repeating her name quietly to himself.

Troy sighed. These thoughts were not helping him to relax for sleep. He made a rapid decision and quickly jumped out of bed. Stopping long enough only to tug a pair of shorts over his boxers and a light sweater over his head, he ran downstairs, pulling his sneakers on as he went. Basketball always cleared his head.

* * *

Two hours later Troy returned to his room from the half-court in his backyard. He had pushed himself hard, trying to exhaust his body enough to enable it to win the sleep battle over his head. It seemed to have worked, because within twenty minutes he was sound asleep. Lying on his side, his blankets shrugged down to his waist and exposing his muscled chest, his eyelashes like two black crescents on his chiselled cheeks...and his hand gently clutching Gabriella's bookmark.

_

* * *

_

Troy felt the softest, sweetest pair of lips he could imagine cut through his sleep and gently place themselves against his own. He moaned softly. Without opening his eyes, he returned the pressure, intensifying the kiss. His deep blue eyes opened as he felt her hands on his bare chest.

"_Gabriella? What -?'_

'_Shhhhh...'she whispered against his lips._

_He wrapped his arms around her, revelling in the feeling he had been aching for since the moment he had met her. Drawing her closer, their kiss deepened and he heard a tiny moan escape her lips. He nearly groaned at the surge of sensations that raced through his body in response. Her hands were at the back of his neck, clutching him to her and occasionally twisting a portion of his hair through her slim fingers. His hands roamed over her back, warm through her satin top, as he tried to memorise ever inch of her. Her hands began to roam likewise, running over the muscular expanse of his naked back. Troy's eyes flew open as her hand dipped lower, towards his –_

'_Gabi,' he whispered breathlessly, 'What-?"_

_She kissed him harder, silencing him. Pushing the sheet away he was left pressing against her in only his boxers. His erection strained against its cotton restraint. He pulled her closer towards him, fitting the length of her body perfectly against his. She began to move, slowly at first, then with more intensity, in an age-old rhythm unmistakeable to any sexual being. She was making it clear what she wanted. Troy was totally at a loss, moving with instinct only. He had dreamed of kissing her but had not imagined she would want to take it this far, this soon. Suddenly she broke the kiss and stared intensely into his eyes._

'_Troy..." she whispered. "I had to see you...I had to tell you that-"_

Troy was abruptly wrenched from Gabriella's warm embrace by a huge weight landing squarely on his well defined stomach.

'What the fuck!' he yelled, shocked at the rude awakening. At once he became aware that the lump was his so-called best friend.

'Hey dude! It's like after one, your mom said I should wake you up.'

Quickly Troy gathered his blankets in an effort to hide the still evident side effect of his dream. Pushing Chad off his bed and roughly onto the floor, he couldn't help snapping, 'Yeah, well, I'm sure she said _wake_, not _kill_.'

Chad grinned in amusement as he hauled himself to his feet. "Somebody's a little cranky today, huh? Are you pissed at me for interrupting your little dream?'

Troy looked at Chad in horror.

Chad chuckled. "Dude, you've got a tent there worthy of Mt Everest."

Troy threw the nearest thing he could lay his hands on – a basketball shaped cushion – at his friend's head. 'You _knew_? And you still jumped on me?"

Chad laughed. "Are you serious? I'm not that sick. I didn't realise until just then. Your, uh, evidence is still pretty – evident."

Jumping out of bed, Troy pushed his friend to the door. "Then don't you think you should give me a minute? Go wait in the living room. I'm going to take a shower and I'll be down in ten.' He gave one final shove and closed the door with a bang behind Chad. Once he was alone, he let out his breath in a rush. Man, talk about going from heaven to hell in an instant. After a few minutes his breathing, still erratic from the dream, had returned to normal, and he quickly made for the shower.

**Hello beloved reader!! So, your thoughts on this chapter? I'd especially like to know if you think it's too soppy that Troy is keeping her bookmark, whether you think Troy would actually spend so much time having these thoughts about a girl he hardly knew, and what you think about Gabi's relationship with her mom. Is it believable? Also if you think it was too gross, Chad jumping on him during his wet dream. And, if you got the 'Bet on it' reference – you are a star.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I don't own HSM, Troy Bolton, Zac Efron, or anyone remotely perv-worthy.**

**A/N: Massive thankyou to Dani (Pandora147) for her help getting Troy and Chad's conversation started, which resulted in my writer's block being completely shattered. If you haven't already...check out her work!**

Chapter 4

Troy came downstairs after his shower, damp hair brushing his eyelids just below his dark eyebrows. Taking the stairs two at a time he launched himself over the last three stairs, landing on the polished floorboards of the hallway. He jogged through the house and around towards the living room where Chad was sprawled on the dark blue sofa, his smooth brown arm curled lightly around his rarely-absent basketball. Chad's eyes were trained on the widescreen TV.

"Dude," Troy greeted his oldest and best friend. Chad looked up briefly with a grin.

"'Sup, man."

Troy glanced over towards the TV, where his friend's attention was riveted. A documentary on LeBraun James was showing. He snapped his fingers in front of Chad's face.

'You ready?'

Chad grinned widely. "Ready for me to kick your butt, you mean?" Somehow, supine position notwithstanding and without dropping the ball, he managed to lean back a little and flip his body up in the air a few feet, vaulting over the back of the couch. Troy shook his head.

'Dude! How the hell do you _do_ that?"

"It's called fitness, my man," Chad boasted, falsely insouciant. As he spoke, he flexed his right arm and leaning over, lightly kissed his bicep.

Troy crossed his arms over his chest, hiding a smile at his friend's egotism. 'Right. So do you think you might be able to squeeze your giant head out the door and onto the court?"

"Absolutely. If only to prove to you that you will never be up to my standard and that you should just give up now.' Troy elbowed Chad as he passed him, causing Chad to body slam him into the wall, which led to the two of them mock-wrestling their way outside.

* * *

It was only the second day of the year and already the excitement of the New Year had worn off. Particularly for Gabriella Montez.

Gabriella was seated at the small table in her room at the lodge, staring unseeingly at the thick trigonometry text in front of her. She had read the same page about four times in the last ten minutes and none of it was sinking in. Sighing, she pushed the massive tome away from her.

She was still struggling to come to terms with the depth of her feelings for Troy. She had spent less than an hour in is company; yet now, two days later, he still haunted her thoughts. For the tenth time that day, she pulled her phone out of her pocket. No missed calls. In some irrational way, she kept hoping that her phone had rung and maybe she just hadn't heard it.

_Yeah right_, she thought wryly. Troy calling her had been all she'd been able to think about; she wasn't about to develop selective deafness with regard to her ringtone. She had even made the ringtone for his number unique to all of the other numbers in her phone; secretly, she had changed it to 'Start of Something New'. Easily done, since the song was currently in the top ten charts, but not something she was about to admit to. She was not the type of girl to do something so girly and sentimental.

_Until now_, she corrected herself.

It was difficult for her to understand, she hypothesised, because it was not a _logical_ response. Logic, reason, rationalism – this, she could understand. But there was no rhyme or reason to the explanation for her feelings for someone who was essentially a stranger.

There was another element to her confusion.

_He hadn't called_.

In the past, Gabriella had always felt a little scornful of girls who moaned and agonised over boys not calling. Admittedly, she had never had a boy she had been seriously interested in herself, but it had hardly seemed like something worth losing sleep over. Now that it was happening to her, however, she repented severely for her lack of understanding. She was still starting at her phone when she heard a light tap at her door, immediately followed by her mother poking her head around it.

"Gabi? Are you almost ready?"

Gabriella gestured to the bed behind her. "Sure Mom, I'm all packed."

"Great. Our cab should be here in a few minutes. I'll see you downstairs." Maria Montez disappeared again, gently pulling the door closed behind her.

Taking a deep breath, Gabriella stood, taking the text book under one arm and her purse under the other. Flipping open the lid of her small carry-on suitcase, she inserted her book before zipping it shut.

There was more on her mind than just Troy, she acknowledged as she left the room. She passed the bellboy, coming to collect her luggage, and murmured a polite greeting. She wondered if she had welcomed the distraction of Troy not just because of the way he made her feel, but because it stopped her from worrying about the move they were currently in the middle of. She dreaded arriving in a new scholastic arena, being labelled 'the school's freaky genius girl' again. Gabriella arrived at the lift well, and pressed the button to call the elevator. She suddenly stood a little straighter, and pulled her shoulders back. She could do this. She'd done it a hundred times before.

* * *

Out on the Bolton's basketball court, the boys had abandoned the ball for a moment and were lying sprawled in the warm winter sunshine. Sweat glistening on their hard young bodies testified to workout they had already engaged in. Troy flung one arm over his eyes, and with the other reached into his pocket for his phone. Flipping it open, he shifted his arm and checked for missed calls. Nothing. Part of him kept hoping that maybe Gabriella would call _him_.

Sitting up, Troy cast a furtive glance over his shoulder at his friend. A few feet away, Chad was still soaking up the sun, his neck propped up on the basketball. His eyes were closed, for the moment at least. Troy opened his contacts to _G_, and quickly flipped through until he reached _Gabriella_. Her photo looked back at him, gazing sweetly through time and space from midnight, New Year's Eve, when he had taken it. He had spent so long looking at this photo, memorising her every feature, that he could see her in his sleep.

_And I do_, he thought with a grin, remembering his dream that had been so rudely interrupted by Chad. As if called over by his very thoughts, Troy suddenly became aware of his friend peering over his shoulder.

"Man! Who's that? She's HOT!" Chad exclaimed.

"Nothing! No one, " Troy said, as he hurriedly snapped his phone closed and stuffed it back into his pocket.

"Yeah right! She is _fine_!" Chad leaned forward, eager for the dirt. "Did you meet her on vacation? Did you hook up?" When Troy still wouldn't meet his gaze, Chad's jaw dropped. "Did you _sleep_ with her?"

Troy sent his friend a withering glance. "Of course I didn't. She's just someone I met." He knew he was a sixteen year old boy himself, but even he had to marvel at his friend's totally one track mind sometimes.

Shifting uncomfortably on the hard court, Troy's eyes dropped to his watch. Still a few minutes before the other two boys were due. He looked at his friend again. They had been close since preschool, and Chad knew him better than he knew himself. Still, even Chad might think he was crazy if he knew the thoughts he'd been having about a girl he hardly knew. Taking a deep breath, he decided to tell Chad the whole story. But maybe not the singing bit.

"Dude..." Troy hesitated. He wasn't really sure how to say it. He tried again. "Can we talk about something kinda...deep?"

Chad looked at him doubtfully. "Deep?"

Troy chewed his lip. "Yeah."

Chad moved around so that they were facing each other, still sitting on the court. "Okay man, shoot." He looked at Troy with concern. They had known each other more than ten years, and he had never seen easy-going Troy look so pre-occupied. Not when his closest friend had not even an inkling as to what might be the cause of it.

Troy cleared his throat, unsure as to where to begin. When he did speak, it all came out in a rush.

"Do you think it's possible to like a girl, I mean REALLY like her, after only sorta meeting her once?"

The shock on Chad's face was comical that Troy almost burst out laughing. Whatever Chad had been expecting, it hadn't been _that_.

"Uh...I don't know...I guess maybe...what the fuck are you on, dude?" Chad struggled to comprehend the concept before giving up entirely. Troy tried again to articulate his feelings.

"Her name's Gabriella." A dreamy smile crossed his handsome face. "I met her at the New Year's Eve party at the lodge, and was just totally blown away."

Chad nodded slowly, doing his best to follow. "Right. Hot chick, horny Troy, gotcha so far."

Troy shook his head, a faraway look in his intelligent blue eyes. "No, it was more than that."

Chad raised his eyebrows. "More than a hot chick and the resultant hornieness? What more is there?" Troy seemed lost in his thoughts, and Chad reached over to wave his fingers in front of his face. "Dude? What are you trying to say?"

Troy smiled, and the feelings for Gabriella he'd been trying to hold in check for the past two days suddenly overwhelmed him.

"I'm saying...that I have strong feelings for her, and I think I might have fallen in –"

Chad suddenly clamped his hand over Troy's mouth. "No way, dude. Do NOT say those words."

Troy looked at Chad, amusement dancing in his eyes, and asked a question that was muffled by Chad's hand. Chad understood, however.

"Because! You said yourself; you've spent like half an hour with this chick, and already she's cast her spell over you. This is how it works, man! A beautiful woman, a beautiful night...next thing you know, you're completely whipped. You'll be like...exfoliating or something next, if you don't stop these thoughts RIGHT NOW."

Troy's brow crinkled. "What's exfoliating?"

Chad shrugged. "Who knows, man? Just one more scary female thing that we need to know NOTHING about."

Shaking off his friend's objections, Troy made one more stab at it.

"Seriously man, it was really ... intense. I can't explain it, but I just feel like I've met _the_ girl."

The shock of this statement sent Chad to his feet.

"_What_?"

Troy looked up at him. "She's special, dude."

"Yeah. And you're SIXTEEN!" Chad struggled to grasp the massive claim his friend had just made. A sudden thought struck him – possibly the saving grace of the situation.

"Wait. You met her at that lodge in Vermont, right?"

Troy assented lightly, amused by the extreme reaction on his friend's behalf.

"So where does she live?"

Troy developed a sudden interest in the scuffed toes of his sneakers. He mumbled under his breath.

"She what?" Chad prodded.

Troy looked up. "I said, I don't know." This time he spoke clearly.

Laughter tickled the back of Chad's throat. "Oh wow, man, you really had me going. I thought you were serious about her!"

"I am," Troy replied.

Confusion flickered across Chad's face. Probing further, he asked "Have you actually seen, or spoken to, this girl since the night you met?"

Troy shook his head cheerfully. "Not so much as a text message."

Chad's thoughts raced along. He tried to summarise the situation to give himself a better understanding. He ran his fingers through his curly, springy hair, having no effect on his wiry mane at all.

"Okay. Let me see if I understand this because frankly, I don't think I do." Chad paused to gather his thoughts. "You met this girl, who is admittedly hot, and spent – what – an hour with her?" He looked to Troy for confirmation.

"Actually, it was a little over half an hour," Troy volunteered.

Chad rolled his eyes. "Right. So you guys hang for half an hour, go your separate ways, don't _see each other or talk to each other again_ – and you're talking about being in _love_?"

_Finally!!_ thought Troy. The L word. Someone had finally said it. Even though it was only Chad, even though he had said it in ridicule, it was great to hear it outside of his own head. He nodded in response to Chad's question.

Chad began pacing. "So what exactly do you plan on doing about it? I mean, are you going to spend the rest of your life jerking off over her every day and dreaming your X-rated dreams at night?"

Troy's lips curled upwards in the beginning of a smile.

"Actually, I do kind of have a plan,"

Chad's head snapped towards him in surprise. "You do?"

Troy jiggled his head up and down absently. "Yup."

"Well?" Chad asked.

Troy looked at him blankly. He had been lost in his thoughts about Gabriella, and his plan for seeing her again.

"Spit it out, dude!" Chad exclaimed.

"Well...I do have her number. I just haven't called her yet because I didn't really know what to say. But I was thinking about it last night before I went to sleep. It doesn't matter where she lives, I could go and see her!"

Chad recoiled from his oldest, best friend. Could Troy not hear his own words, and how crazy they were?

Troy noticed the expression on Chad's face. "I know it sounds insane. But I just have this feeling about her, you know? There was something big between us."

Chad snorted with laughter, choosing to take Troy's last word's completely out of context. "Don't flatter yourself, dude."

Troy looked Chad in the eyes, completely serious. "I mean it, man. I have to see her again. Even if it's just to have her tell me to stop stalking her and leave her alone."

"But...you can't go anywhere _now_. We have the championship in less than three weeks!" Chad protested with frustration. Couldn't Troy see how ridiculous it was to be having feelings about a girl at this time in the season? It could affect his whole game, the outcome of the championship, it could even affect his whole future career as a basketballer! And god knew there were plenty of Wildcats cheerleaders he could focus on if he really _had_ to have a girl in his life.

Troy bit his lip. "I know. I'm not passing on the game. You know I'm going to give it everything I've got. It's just that ... for the first time in my life, there's something equally as important as basketball. Not more important. But just as important to me as that game and that championship." _For now_, he added silently. He didn't want Chad to know that he had a feeling that Gabriella meant even more to him than he'd let on.

"And if you have to choose?" Chad queried.

"I won't," Troy said firmly.

The sudden thunder of four giant sneakered crashing down the back stairs caused Chad and Troy to look up. Zeke and Jason had arrived. By unspoken agreement, the subject was dropped, and Troy jumped up to exchange complicated handshakes and thumps on the back with the two new arrivals. Chad did the same, and a much lighter conversation regarding the less complicated aspects of their holidays ensued.

As Troy and Zeke began horsing around with the ball, Troy showing off with some break-right-fake-left combination, Chad noticed that Troy had left his phone on the ground where they had been sitting. Scooping it up, he automatically made to call out to Troy when he suddenly hesitated. Without taking time to consult his deeper thoughts as to the ethics of his actions, he quickly scrolled through to Gabriella's name. And very, very deliberately, he hit the delete button.

Jason stood over the other side of the court, watching Chad play with Troy's phone without much interest. It was, however, an action that he would come to question in the following days.

**Sorry for the delay, I really struggled with this one. And sorry for the resultant crappy-ness. Please review with your responses!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I don't own HSM. And even if I did I would disown Chad for what he does to Troy in this chapter.**

Chapter 5

It was nearly dark before the boys finally finished their game, drawn from the court by their growling stomachs. As the other three trooped inside looking for something to satisfy their hunger, Chad lagged behind. His conscience had been eating away at him ever since he had deleted Gabriella's number from his friend's phone.

As if to push the guilt home, his mind suddenly conjured up an image of Troy's face as it had been when he'd been talking about Gabriella. He had looked so ... well, happy, damn it! And something more as well, something Chad had never seen in the face of the friend he had known and loved for nearly twelve years.

_"She's special, dude...I feel like I've met the girl."_

Another stab of guilt hit Chad as he remembered Troy's words. Entering the kitchen behind the others, he quietly pulled a chair away from the table and slumped down into it, wallowing in the shame of his action. He'd just done it without thinking and boy, was he paying for it now.

_Which will be nothing in comparison to how I'll pay when Troy finds out_, he told himself grimly. He tried to rehearse what he'd say when what he'd done eventually came to light. He tried, _"I am so sorry, I did it without thinking-"_

"Danforth!"

Chad looked up. It was Zeke who had called his name, and all three of the boys were looking at him expectantly.

"Yo," Chad attempted to inject some of his usual light-heartedness into his tone, while simultaneously trying to wipe the guilt from his face.

"We're going out for pizza. You ready?"

Chad nodded distractedly. "Sure," he answered. Only Troy noticed the well-disguised melancholy in his friend's tone.

"Great," Troy said. "So we'll get changed and meet in about half an hour, okay?"

There was no need to say where they would meet. The tiny pizza parlour a few blocks from Troy's house, no more than ten minutes from any of their homes, had been a favourite hangout for years.

"Sounds good," Zeke said. "See you in a few, then." Grabbing his jacket, he headed out the front door, followed soon after by Jason.

Once they were alone, Troy turned to Chad. "What's up, man?"

"Nothing…why?" Chad tried to speak normally and ignore the gnawing in his gut that had nothing to do with hunger.

Troy narrowed his eyes and looked directly at Chad.

"You're like a brother to me, and I know you better than I know myself. Something's wrong. Spill."

Chad's throat was suddenly bone dry. He knew he had to own up, but the truth was he was afraid of Troy's reaction. He was scared of the magnitude of the feelings his friend had expressed for this girl, yet even so he had a feeling he did not know the full extent of them.

For the millionth time that afternoon, he cursed his own stupidity. Troy would never believe that he hadn't meant any harm. He knew himself that he'd done it with good intentions; he'd wanted to be sure that Troy was focused on the game and not some girl he barely knew. And if he was honest with himself, he had been motivated by a little jealousy too. They had been each other's closest friends for most of their lives and Chad had panicked a little at the thought of sharing him with someone else. He sighed, knowing those feelings at least were his problem, and something he was going to have to come to terms with on his own.

Avoiding Troy's eyes, he grabbed his own jacket.

"I'm fine, dude. See you there."

"Chad…" Troy trailed off. The words he left unspoken hung in the air.

_I love you like a brother, and if there's anything you want to talk about I'm here for you. _

Chad smiled sickly, a ghost of his usual upbeat grin.

"Sure,"

_I know that, and I don't deserve a friend like you. _

* * *

Gabriella peered out of the window of the taxi as it rolled along the pretty suburban street. It was pretty much dark, but a combination of streetlights and decorative garden lights in people's front yards enabled her to see relatively well. The taxi began to slow, and Gabriella felt her mom's hand on her arm.

"Look, honey. That's our house. The one with the columns on the porch,"

Gabriella smiled. "It's beautiful, Mom."

She knew how hard her mom always tried to find and make a nice home for them, no matter how many times they moved. The ticking of the turn signal sounded as the cab driver turned into their new driveway.

As the car came to a stop, Gabriella opened the door and slid a slim leg out onto the concrete drive. The first thing she noticed was the comparative warmth in the air; it was an early January evening, yet the chill that kissed her bare cheeks was minimal. She had expected to be colder, being in the desert as they were.

Standing up straight, she stretched a little as her mom paid the driver. The removalists had been hard at work while she and her mom had been on vacation, moving their stuff and unpacking the bulk of it, so they could look forward to going inside to something resembling a home. Someone had thoughtfully left the porch light on for them. Gabriella turned towards the door as she heard her mom take her keys out and fit one to the lock.

The thick wooden door swept open, giving Gabriella her first look at their new home. She wandered from room to room, flicking lights on, taking time to become accustomed to their new environment. She caught a glimpse of her mom through the large front windows, helping the cab driver bring the first of their bags in, and quickly went out to assist.

The task was soon completed, since they had not taken many bags. Moving often as they did, both Gabriella and Maria had become accustomed to travelling light. The driver had just gone out to retrieve the last bag when Gabriella turned to her mother.

"Mom? What do you want to do for dinner tonight?"

It was a custom for the two of them to go out to dinner together on their first night in a new town, with it traditionally being Gabriella's prerogative to choose the restaurant.

"Hmm. I could go something French and expensive. What about you?" Maria teased. It was also tradition for Maria to suggest something exorbitant and ostentatious – exactly the opposite of what she knew Gabriella would want. Gabriella grinned.

"Pizza."

Maria rolled her eyes with mock resignation. "Pizza it is."

The cab driver re-entered the house, placing the last bag in the hallway where the two women were talking. Maria reached for her purse to take out his tip.

"Thank you for your help." She handed him a bill. "Do you know the area well?"

The driver grinned. "I'd say so. I grew up around here, ma'am."

"Really? My daughter and I were wondering if there was someplace around here you could recommend for dinner. A pizza dinner," She amended, catching Gabriella's eye.

"Sure. There's a place only a few blocks from here, it's just a small pizza parlour but they do a good pie. Pretty popular with the high school kids, too," he added, for Gabriella's benefit.

Maria smiled. "Sounds great." She looked at Gabriella. "Are you ready to go now, sweetie?"

Gabriella nodded. "Sure. I'm starving."

"Great." Maria turned back to the cab driver. "Would you be able to drive us over there now?"

"No problem."

The two women picked up their purses, and closing the door, followed the young man down the front path and back into the taxi.

* * *

Troy was the first of the four to arrive at the pizza parlour, hoping to talk to Chad again before the others arrived. He had begun to suspect that his friend's odd behaviour might have had something to do with his own confession regarding Gabriella, and he wanted to make it right. Chad was his oldest and best friend; not even the girl of his dreams was going to come between that. He smiled at the thought of Gabriella. He was certain that she wouldn't be the type to want to do that anyway. She was so sweet, so loving; he knew instinctively that she was not the jealous kind.

The door opened across the room, and Troy saw Chad, Zeke and Jason filing in one after the other. He resigned himself to waiting til later to find out what was bothering Chad.

* * *

As Jason, Zeke and Troy horsed around, pretending to argue over toppings and orders, Chad sat in uncharacteristic silence. The guilt in the pit of his stomach was making him nauseous. He had to tell Troy the truth. Troy would be pissed at him and rightly so, he might even refuse to talk to him, but anything was preferable to the way he was feeling now. At least if it was out in the open he wouldn't be living in momentary dread of Troy discovering it on his own. He looked up to see Troy shooting him another look of concern. The anxiety for him in his friend's face only made him feel worse. Pushing back his chair, he suddenly stood.

"I'm going to get a coke. You guys want anything?"

"Yeah! I'll have an orange soda," Jason volunteered.

"Sure, I'll have a coke too." Zeke agreed.

Chad looked at Troy."Your usual?" he asked. Troy was a sports drink type, steering clear of soda most of the time. Normally Chad would tease him unmercifully about having a pretty-boy image to keep up, but he could not bring himself to do it tonight. This only increased Troy's concern for his friend.

"Yeah," Troy started to push his own chair back. "I'll help." He was really worried about Chad now, and was determined to find out what was on his mind.

"No!" Chad said, a little louder than he'd intended. He tried to smile, to put his friend's mind at ease. "I'll do it. Back in a sec."

Troy wasn't fooled for an instant.

* * *

Chad arrived at the counter and placed his palms hard against its surface, forcing himself to take deep breaths. He had to tell Troy about deleting Gabriella's number, before he found out on his own. If he thought that Chad had never had any intention of telling him he might never forgive him. He looked up, confused, as the girl asked him to place his order. Distractedly Chad managed to fumble out his request.

He snuck a look over his right shoulder. Troy was sitting with his back to him, apparently still talking to the guys. He'd tell him now, Chad thought decisively. There was no easy way to say it, and no point in putting it off. He picked up the tray with the four drinks on in and turned to go back to the table.

"WHAT THE-" Troy exclaimed loudly, his voice rising over the general chatter that filled the room. He managed to bite the last word off his sentence just in time, remembering where he was.

Chad's stomach dropped like a stone, and momentarily his heart stopped beating. As he made his way through the semi-crowded room he had rounded a few tables and was now coming from a different angle, which gave him a better view and allowed him to see that Troy held his phone in his hand, a look of shock on his face. Chad hastened towards the table.

Jason and Zeke looked up at Troy, surprised at his outburst.

"What's up, man?" Zeke asked.

"Her number," Troy gasped. "It's gone!"

"Whose number?" Jason asked in confusion.

"Gabriella's…did either of you guys touch my phone?" Troy asked. His heart was beating wildly; he struggled to accept the idea that he might have lost her for good.

Jason creased his brow, thinking. "Nope. No one's touched your phone since Danforth put it up on the bench. Right before our game." He stated this innocently; completely oblivious to the bomb he had just dropped.

Chad froze as Troy swung around towards him, fiery flames of anger licking at his suddenly icy blue eyes. He was so angry he could hardly speak.

"Did you -?" was all he managed to choke out, before his throat closed over with rage.

Chad couldn't speak. He didn't know what to say, how to begin to explain himself – because he knew that what he'd done was inexcusable.

Furious, Troy pushed past Chad and ran out the door, eager to put as much distance as he could between himself and his so-called friend before he did something he'd regret.

* * *

The driver hadn't been kidding when he claimed the restaurant was only a few blocks away. After a short drive, the cab pulled up outside of a cosy-looking diner. Through the large glass windows at the front, Gabriella could see people scattered around, seated at booths and tables. Most of the customers seemed to be young families and teenagers. She stepped out of the car and looked around with interest as her mom paid the cab driver.

Suddenly, Gabriella noticed a figure out of the corner of her eye, striding off into the semi-lit suburban streets. There was something familiar about his build...

She frowned at herself for letting her imagination run away with her like this. Just because Troy was in her thoughts constantly did _not_ mean that she was allowed to start seeing him literally on every street corner. She watched as another boy about her age, with a mass of curly hair bouncing with every hurried step he took, came racing out of the pizza place and chased after the first boy.

Giggling to herself at the silly ways her mind was responding to her crush, she grabbed her mom by the arm and dragged her inside for something to eat.

* * *

Troy's fast, angry walk segued into a sprint as soon as he heard Chad call out from behind him. By virtue of the fact that he had a head start, he arrived at his house just a few moments in front of Chad. Slamming the front door, he thundered upstairs and crashed loudly into his room. Flopping onto his bed, he tried to control his anger.

A moment later, there was a knock on his door. Troy pulled a pillow over his head and groaned.

A second knock sounded.

"Go away," he growled loudly.

"Troy?" It was his father speaking. Troy heaved a frustrated sigh.

"Dad, I'm not really in the mood for talking right now. Can you please just leave me alone?"

The pillow was still tugged down over his eyes, but he heard the door open softly. When his father spoke again, his voice was no longer muffled by the door.

"I told Chad that now wasn't a good time," he said finally. Troy felt the bed dip a little as his father perched on the edge of it.

Troy snorted derisively. "You could say that," he agreed sarcastically.

There was a long pause. Then Jack asked,

"Do you want to tell me about it?"

Troy pushed the pillow away from his face and sighed.

"We had a fight, Dad. That's all."

"It looked kinda serious," Jack probed gently.

Troy looked his father in the eyes. "It was about a girl." He laughed bitterly, a thin, pain-filled sound with no humour. "What a cliché, right?"

Jack's brow furrowed. "A girl? What do you mean?"

"She was just someone I met at the lodge. On New Year's Eve."

Jack nodded, silently encouraging Troy to go on. The younger man's face took on a far-away gaze, as if he could see through time back to when she had been standing before him. Troy continued.

"She was … special. We hung out, swapped phone numbers. I was supposed to see her yesterday but then we had to leave earlier than I'd expected." Troy was suddenly brought back to the present, and once again had difficulty speaking through the red haze of his anger with Chad.

"I didn't call her. I didn't know what to say." His mouth twisted as he attempted to smile. "I don't even know where she lives." He cleared his throat before continuing, his voice harder now as he spoke of the object of his anger. "So I told Chad about her. About my feelings for her. And then I find out tonight that as soon as I did, he went behind my back and deleted her number. Now I have no way of finding her."

Jack murmured something understanding. His own head was spinning. This was obviously a huge development in his son's life, meeting someone he felt so strongly about. He tried to find out just how strongly he felt.

"But she was just a girl, right? Not…more important that your friendship with Chad?"

Troy gritted his teeth. "It's more than that, Dad. It's about him disrespecting me like this. And I would have thought he'd at least try to understand how I feel about her…"

Troy sat up, all of his anger dissipating now as he focused on his loss. He swallowed hard, fighting the burning behind his eyeballs.

"How am I going to find her again, Dad?" The hurt was raw in Troy's voice.

Jack was still shocked at the obvious intensity of his progeny's feelings. "I don't know, son. Maybe you can't." He hesitated, not wanting to cause Troy further pain. "Do you think you'll see her again?"

The silence hung heavily between them.

Troy lay down again, curling into a ball on his side.

"Only in my dreams," he answered softly.

**A/N Please review! or I will stop right now and you will never know if they find each other :)**


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer - I don't own HSM or these characters. If I did then maybe they wouldn't just stop talking to me like they did this week :)**

_Troy blinked as he felt the tiny snowflakes gently land on his bare face, rousing him from his sleep. A tiny white flake had landed on his eyelid a split second before he opened his eyes and he felt it begin to melt, before a single drop of melted snow began trickling down his cheek. His eyelashes fluttered again as another two snowflakes landed on them._

_Slowly, Troy became aware of the sensations washing over the rest of his body. He was lying down, outside it seemed, because he appeared to be resting on a feather-soft bed of snow. He was barely clothed, wearing only the boxers he had fallen asleep in, but inexplicably did not feel cold. _

_Suddenly he saw Gabriella, also scantily clad, and the heat running through his body made sense. How could he feel cold around her, when the rush of feelings she sent through him with a single look were enough to melt the polar icecaps?_

_He watched as she glided towards him, a vision in pink and white, before slowly folding her slim, bare legs beneath her as she knelt beside him._

"_Troy..." she whispered, caressing his forehead, brushing his longish hair from his eyes._

"_I've been waiting for you, Troy. Why didn't you call me?" There was no reproach in her tone; only the tiniest hint of sadness._

"_We had to go...I didn't know what to say," Troy murmured, his eyes frantically travelling over her every feature in a desperate attempt to memorise them. He was having difficulty focusing on his words with her in such close proximity, yet there was so much he wanted to say to her. _

"_I missed you," she said softly. "I wanted to talk to you...and I wanted to do this..." _

_As she spoke, she dipped her head until her lips gently met his. _

_Snowflakes continued to drift gently downwards, lightly dusting the two, but they remained completely oblivious to anything but each other. Troy wound his arms around her slim form, pulling her closer, desperate to close the all-too-large gap between their two bodies._

_The kiss deepened as Gabriella sank down towards him, her lithe body slowly disentangling itself from its kneeling position beside him until her length was pressed against his. Leg against leg, hip against hip, chest against chest. Her arms crept upwards before sensuously tangling themselves around his neck. _

_Troy tried in vain to regulate his breathing. Her body was tantalisingly close to his and he yearned to just lose himself in her lips, to kiss her and never stop, but he had to speak._

"_Brie," he panted. He stopped in surprise. Where had that come from? He didn't even know if she had a nickname. "I need to talk to you...I never...asked you where you lived or anything."_

_She continued to kiss him, trailing her lips along his jaw line and down his throat._

"_You know where to find me, Troy." She whispered, between kisses._

_Troy struggled to clear his head. He couldn't think straight when she was so close to him, touching him, kissing him._

"_No, I don't!" he said softly, desperately. "Chad-"_

_She cut him off. "I'm right here, Troy. In your dreams. In your heart. You can always find me if you want to..."_

_She returned her lips to his and for a few moments he surrendered to the fireworks her kisses never failed to evoke. _

_Only the fear of losing her again gave him the willpower to break the kiss. "I need to find you for real. I need you in my life..." He moaned gently as her hands caressed his chest, his sides, his hips. _

_He barely registered the fact that the snow was beginning to fall harder until she suddenly pulled away._

"_What...where are you going?" he asked, a little panicky. She couldn't leave, not yet!_

"_I have to go...I have to go wish my mom a happy snow day." _

"_Wait!" Troy called, confused, a trace of desperation in his voice. He couldn't have her go away so soon! "Don't you want me to call you? How will I find you?"_

"_Sure," she giggled as she ran away. The snow was falling heavily now. "IM me!"_

* * *

Troy slowly awakened, his lashes fluttering open much as they had in his dream. He remembered the whole thing vividly.

He had thought he'd been too angry to fall asleep last night, after his discovery of Chad's betrayal of his trust, but the vibrant memory of his dream told him otherwise.

He groaned in frustration, rolling over onto his side. If only it was that easy to find her!

Glancing at the bedside clock, he saw that it was nine am. It was Thursday and winter vacation – normally he and Chad would be meeting at the gym for a workout. Deliberately he turned over again, away from the clock. Danforth could wait all day for all he cared. He was still pissed at him, and he didn't know what had riled him more. The fact that he had deleted her number and destroyed any chance of Troy finding her again, or the fact that he had taken such liberties with his best friend's trust.

These thoughts inevitably led back to Gabriella, the way that everything seemed to the past few days.

_Fuck, it hurt!_

His eyes widened in surprise at his thought. _What_ hurt, exactly? Could he possibly be missing her? He didn't even know her!

_Try telling that to your subconscious, buddy,_ he thought, a little self-depreciatingly. He sighed. He really should get up – he was not the type to loll around in bed. But get up for what, exactly? He supposed he could take a look at his books, make sure he was all set for school on Monday. He grinned in spite of himself. He _was_ desperate for something to do. Rolling out of bed, he stood up and, running his hands through his already tousled hair, wandered off towards the shower.

* * *

Gabriella awoke to brilliant sunshine on her first day in Albuquerque. As had become her habit over the past few days, even before she was properly awake, the first thing she did was reach over to her cell and check if for missed calls or messages.

Nothing.

She tried to smile at herself. She should probably just stop expecting him to call now. He would have by now if he'd wanted to.

Suddenly she shivered. Despite the sunshine outside and the central heating within, she felt a sudden chill, as though she was enveloped in drifts of snow rather than her downy white bedding. A bemused smile crossed her lips at her unusual metaphor. She didn't know where _that_ one had come from. She was wearing very little; just a tiny pair of pink shorts and the cream lace cami she often slept in. That probably accounted for her chill. She snuggled deeper into her blankets in an attempt to get warm. Closing her eyes again, she was met with the same image that had been there for the past three days.

Troy.

Why did this boy have such a hold on her? She was at a loss to explain her feelings, even to herself. She knew she had to get a grip on herself. Dreaming was fine, but there came a point where she had to acknowledge that he wasn't going to call, that she wasn't going to see him again.

Her thoughts flitted across her still-sleepy brain. She would stop thinking about him...she would stop waiting for him to call...she would...

Her breathing became shallower, more regular. She would think about it when she woke up.

* * *

Troy was in the shower, his face turned upwards into the stinging spray, when it hit him.

_Sure, she had giggled. IM me..._

He slammed his flat palm against the tiled wall, unable to believe his own stupidity. Why hadn't he thought of it before?

He should just look for her online! Weren't most people his age on MySpace or something? Admittedly, he wasn't, but still. She might be! It was worth a shot, he thought, his head spinning at the idea that he might just have hit on a way to find her.

Cutting his shower short, he shut off the water and stepped out of the cubicle, stopping only briefly to wrap a thick, powder blue towel around his hips. Using another smaller towel that he held in his hands, he gave his upper body a cursory pat dry as his quickly padded along the hallway to his room.

Once he got to his room, he shut the door behind him and crossed the room in just a few swift steps. Without even bothering to dress he sat down at his desk and, flipping open his laptop, waited impatiently for it to boot up.

After a few seconds, his logon screen came up. Somewhat awkwardly he typed in his details and hit enter, waiting for his desktop to appear. Computers were not his thing; personally, he steered clear of them as often as he could get away with. But for once he was grateful that his parents had insisted on setting him up with a laptop and internet 'for his studies'.

After another minute or two Troy was faced with his homepage. Quickly flipping over to My Space, he was about to begin typing when he suddenly stopped short.

What was his plan, exactly? Just type in "Gabriella Montez" and hope for the best?

He shrugged. He didn't really have a better idea.

He punched out the letters and hit enter. After a moment the search results page came up.

_Displaying _**_1-10_**_ of 500 results for _**_gabriella montez_**

His heart sank.

_What did you expect_, he silently berated himself. Disheartened, he sat back in his chair.

Suddenly, his face lit up. _The bookmark!_

He jumped up, pushing his chair backwards as he did so. He hurried over to his bed and lifted the pillow, where he had left her bookmark last night before he had dropped off to sleep. It was still there; the only tangible proof he had that she existed and was not just something dreamed up by his subconscious. He snatched it up and flew back over to his computer.

On the right hand side of the screen, next to the search results, was a small box.

_Filter Results_

He glanced at the bookmark, now lying on his desk. Flowing, feminie script spelled out six precious words.

_Gabriella Montez. Sun High, San Francisco_. Quickly he narrowed his search to the Gabriella Montez's in San Francisco.

_Displaying _**_1-19_**_ of 19 results for _**_gabriella montez_**_in __San Francisco, California, United States_

He grinned. Now he was getting somewhere. Quickly, he scrolled through the results, looking for a certain pair of deep brown eyes that had haunted him every moment of the days that had passed since he had looked into them.

Suddenly his heart stopped.

_It was her!_

* * *

After lunch on Thursday, Gabriella was helping her mom unpack when she was startled by the ringing of her phone. Quickly, she scampered down the hall to her room where she'd left her phone on the nightstand.

As she picked up the phone, she smiled as she saw the name that flashed up on the screen.

"Hey Narelle. Happy new year," she greeted her friend.

"Hey Gabi! How was Vermont?"

Gabriella had met Narelle in only May the previous year, when she and her mom had arrived in San Francisco. Narelle had convinced Gabriella to join the school's scholastic challenge, and they had been friends ever since.

"It was ... cool," Gabriella said, not sure how much she wanted to reveal about New Year's Eve. "How about you?"

Gabriella could practically hear her friend roll her eyes over the phone. "Family crap. I spent all of New Year's Eve looking after my cousins and the twins."

Narelle had become the somewhat bewildered older sister of twins the previous summer, and was always grumbling about the time that babysitting took away from her studies. Despite this, Gabriella knew she loved those babies to pieces.

"Sounds like fun," she smiled.

"So give me details!" Narelle exclaimed. "What exactly did you do up there in winter wonderland?"

"I spent a little time on our trig text. You know, from Mr Norman's class." Gabriella stalled.

"Oh really? How far did you get? I've just finished chapter fourteen, I really struggled with – Wait." Narelle stopped mid-sentence. "How come you're still going with that? Is it part of the curriculum at your new school?"

"No...I just thought it might be useful. I haven't got a semester outline yet for my new classes so I thought I'd just continue with that one. What did you get for question five at the end of chapter fourteen?" Gabriella attempted to distract her friend once more.

"Who cares?" Narelle said, with a transparent attempt at carelessness. Her voice took on a motherly tone. "What did we talk about just before you left? You promised you were going to spend less time studying and more time trying to be social!"

Gabriella giggled. "Like you can talk." The two girls were similarly dedicated to their studies, but since Gabriella's breakup with her boyfriend shortly after she had arrived in San Francisco had left her a little withdrawn, Narelle had been crusading to get her friend to become more socially involved.

"Hey! I have a social life!" Narelle protested. "I'm just extroverted in an introverted kinda way."

"Really? So how many times have you been out since school let out?" Gabriella smothered another giggle.

"Ummm...just when I went ice-skating? At the rink downtown?"

Gabriella groaned. "Rell! That was my farewell party! And that was almost two weeks ago!"

It was Narelle's turn to giggle. "I know. But on the upside, I've started working on that experiment I was telling you about, you know, with all that chem stuff I got for Christmas?"

Her friend's excitement for all things chemistry related flowed across the telephone lines , all the way from the west coast. Gabriella gave in with a smile. "I guess as long as you're having fun, that's all that matters."

"I know. Hey! Speaking of having fun, I have to show you the photos I took of the twins Christmas Day. They were so cute! I swear that Abby actually said "choo choo". When I gave her that cute outfit with the train on it. Remember? I showed you just before you left."

Gabriella chuckled indulgently. "Rell, she's like six months old. I don't think she can talk yet."

"She did!" Narelle insisted. "And she and Brooke had the cutest little hats on, Brooke's was like little reindeer ears and Abby's was a little Santa hat. Actually, I posted some of the photos online. They're on my Facebook. You're not using the MySpace anymore, right? You're using your new Facebook account?"

Gabriella snorted indelicately. "Hardly. You know I stopped using MySpace last summer. When I had all that trouble with spam. Anyway, I think Facebook's just easier to use."

"Cool. So check them out. The twins have grown just since you left, I swear."

A large crash from down the hall caused Gabriella to snap her head towards the door. A muffled exclamation of something suspiciously similar to a curse issued from her mother's room. When Gabriella had left the room she had been trying to stuff some of her summer clothes in to the top shelves of her closet.

"Narelle, I have to go. I'm helping Mom in her room and it sounds like she's just dropped half her closet on her head."

"Okay. Have fun. And don't forget to check out the pics. And call me soon! You still didn't tell me what you got up to on your vacation." Narelle spoke quickly to get in everything she wanted to say before her friend hung up.

"Okay. Kiss the babies for me. I'll call soon, I promise."

"Love you, Gabs."

"Love you Rell. Speak soon,"

Without any further delay, Gabriella hurriedly disconnected the call and rushed out of her room towards her mother's.

* * *

Troy's heart thundered in his ears as he stared at the photo of her on his computer screen. She was a little younger in this photo, but not much. She was smiling into the camera, a kind of knowing look in her eyes, and a single frangipani flower was tucked behind her left ear. His mouth was suddenly dry just looking at her.

Abruptly, he snapped out of the shock he'd felt at finding her and quickly clicked on her profile. He cursed the seconds that ticked by as the page downloaded. Finally it was there. Quickly, he scanned her profile, looking for anything that would tell him more about the girl he'd fallen in love with that night at the lodge.

_Female...sixteen...Sun High, San Francisco...my pics...my videos...interests..._

Troy stopped suddenly. Along with his heart. He re-read the line again, hoping that maybe he'd read it wrong.

He hadn't. It was there; cruelly clear in black and white.

_Status: In a relationship_

_

* * *

_**A/N Sorry for the delay. I fell into an artistic black hole and my characters wouldn't talk to me. Please tell me honestly what you think, even if you don't like it I'd really like to know.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: I own a lot of things, including a beat up falcon ute and a dopey great dane. But I don't own Troy, Gabriella, HSM...any of that stuff.**

Chapter 7

Troy ran downstairs, taking them two at a time, and flew out the front door. He had taken time only to dress quickly before he left. He needed to think and he couldn't think indoors. So he had decided to take a run.

_She was in a relationship._

Troy took off down the tree-lined street, his feet pounding on the pavement as he tried to run out his frustration. But every step he took seemed to pound it further into his brain, the words running through his head in time to his footsteps.

_In-a-re-lation-ship-in-a-re-lation-ship-in-a-re-lation-ship_

He ran harder, forcing his arms and legs to pump faster as he propelled his body along the sidewalk. A tiny trickle of sweat ran down his forehead and into the corner of his left eye, stinging, but he ignored it.

Troy kept running as he began to feel the acidic burn spreading through his muscles. Still he pushed on. He kept running until he began to lose all comprehension of how long he'd been going, how long he'd been outside, but he had no desire to stop. He kept running in the hope that sooner or later he would silence the incessant commentary that had been running through his head.

_She was in a relationship!_ Of course she was. Girls like that didn't just walk around without the whole world realising how great they were. Hell, she probably had a waiting list just to get into her address book, let alone be her boyfriend.

Troy gritted his teeth at the lightning bolt of frustration he felt at the word _boyfriend_. Why the hell did it bother him so much? He hardly knew this girl. He burned with anger at himself for feeling so damn much for a girl he didn't know.

He rounded the street corner without taking notice of his surroundings, completely lost in thoughts of Gabriella. Or more precisely, lost in the struggle of trying to direct his thoughts away from Gabriella. Suddenly he collided with another body, slamming into a solid wall of muscle.

"Hey, sorry man, I was-" Troy started to mumble out a distracted apology when he suddenly realised who he was faced with. His jaw muscles tensed, setting his lips in a thin line.

Chad swallowed. He'd been standing on the pavement with Jason, waiting for Zeke to reappear from his house. The trio had been intending to head over to Troy's to talk to him and he'd been standing lost in his own thoughts when the primary object of them had crashed into him. Jason, a few feet away talking on his cell, had not seen Troy coming either.

"Troy," Chad managed. "We were just coming to see you. I wanted to talk to you-"

"Save it," Troy muttered, moving to push past Chad and continue with his run. Chad noticed that his friend's t-shirt was drenched in sweat, a sure sign that he had been running for some time. It took a fair effort for the athletic Troy Bolton to work up a sweat.

Chad placed a hand on Troy's shoulder in an effort to stop him. "Dude, you need to hear me out. I want to apologise-"

Again Troy cut Chad off, this time by shrugging his hand off with a chilly stare. When he spoke, his voice was dangerously calm. "I said I don't want to hear it."

Chad spoke desperately. "Troy! I'm sorry, okay? I really really am. But don't you think that no matter how mad at me you are, it all comes down to this girl, someone you don't really know? And that we can't just let some random chick come between us? We're like brothers, dude." He faltered, not knowing what else to say.

Troy, who had started to step away, stopped with Chad's words. When he spun around, his eyes were no longer chilly but burning blue flames of anger.

"Chad! Don't you get it? _Gabriella doesn't matter!_" He tried to convince himself as much as his friend but his heart ached with the lie. "I'm pissed because you went behind my back and deleted a number from my phone!" With enormous effort, his voice became a little calmer, a little lower, as he realised that they were still outside and people could hear them. "I just can't believe you have so little respect for me. It doesn't matter whose number it is – who I choose to call, or spend time with, is none of your business. It's certainly not up to you to make the decision for me."

Troy stopped and made an obvious attempt to restrain his still burgeoning anger. Jason, who had hurriedly ended his call when he had realised that Troy had arrived, stepped between the other two boys.

"Let's just slow down a little, huh guys?" He turned to Troy. "Chad's right about one thing. You guys have been like brothers for years. Doesn't that count for something?"

For a moment there was a tense silence, as the two boys stared at each other, one in sorrow, one in fury. Jason looked on helplessly. The hush stretched painfully thin, with only the sound of the gentle breeze rustling through the trees. A car horn beeped from somewhere nearby.

Zeke suddenly appeared at the door of his house, stopping in his tracks when he realised that he had arrived in the middle of something. He tried to smile.

"Hey dude," he greeted Troy. He was somewhat uneasy, with Chad having filled him and Jason in on the situation earlier in the day. Personally, he believed that Chad had been in the wrong, and had anticipated that Troy would be pissed. What he hadn't expected was the intensity of feelings radiating from Troy. Anger, frustration – all of that he could understand. But there was something else. Something like loss, or grief.

Zeke tentatively stepped down the two shallow steps leading down from his front porch, unsure of what he should do. Should he grab Jason – whom everyone knew had the tact and sensitivity of a raging bull – and discretely leave the other two to work it out? Or should he stay in case things got out of hand? The way Troy was looking at Chad right now, Zeke half expected him to start throwing punches. Maybe it would be best if the two boys were given time and space to work things out. Peacefully.

"Do you want to come in?" Zeke asked, looking at Troy. "We could just hang...or something..." he trailed off. He didn't recognise this angry man as the happy-go-lucky basketball captain he was friends with.

Troy looked up at Zeke, finally raising his livid gaze from Chad's shamefaced expression. "No," he said, struggling to speak normally. "I have to go."

Zeke tried one last time, speaking to Troy's back as he made off again. "Hey! What about Amy's party tomorrow? Are you still coming?"

Troy stopped briefly, without even bothering to look back. "Don't count on it."

Without another word, he began to run again, starting with a slow jog that quickly morphed into something approaching a sprint.

* * *

It was early evening when Gabriella and her mother stopped in their efforts to straighten out the house for dinner. They had made a quick trip to the grocery store earlier in the day and so had a reasonable selection of groceries from which to prepare their meal. After dinner Gabriella remembered her conversation with Narelle and ran lightly upstairs to check out the photos on Facebook.

She located her laptop and sat down at her desk, pressing the button to start up the computer at the same time. As it loaded she glanced around her room. It was pretty much unpacked thanks to the removalists; all that remained was to rearrange a few small things that were not where she wanted them. Her computer tinkled gently to alert her to the fact that her operating system was ready to go.

After a few moments Gabriella had her Facebook page up and noted that Narelle had tagged her on the Christmas photos. She was in the process of opening the photos when her computer issued a dull beep. In the lower right hand corner of the screen, she noticed that her Friends Online box had begun to flash. She smiled. Narelle was online and IMing her.

_Hey Gabi_

Gabriella quickly typed her response.

**Hi Rell **

_What's doin?_

**Tired of unpacking LOL.**

_I bet :) _

Gabriella chewed her lip. She hadn't told Narelle about Troy yet and she was aching to tell someone how she felt about him. She hesitated before typing again.

**Rell I didn't tell you what happened on NYE**

_So spill_

**I met a guy**

_Tell all!_

**His name is Troy, so sweet**

_Did u hook up?_

Gabriella grinned at her friend's directness.

**No. I wanted to but I was scared**

_Of what?_

**Just coz I haven't been with anyone since Rory**

_That was like last millennium!_

**I know. I was still scared. **

_So what happened?_

**Just talked. **

_JUST TALKED?_

**Yeah. Until midnight and then I left**

_Did u see him after?_

**No**

_So what now?_

**He was going to call. He hasn't.**

_Wait. He has your number?_

**Yeah.**

_And you have his?_

**Yeah**

_CALL HIM!!_

Gabriella sighed. It was all she wanted to do and yet something held her back.

**Not that easy**

_Simple concept. Dial and talk._

**LOL. I wish. Wanna see his pic?**

_Is the sky blue?_

**Well, technically... Kidding! Sending it to your cell now**

_Tell me again why you can't call him?_

**I don't even know where he lives.**

_K, that makes it tricky. Still think you should call._

**But he didn't call me. Doesn't that mean that he doesn't want to talk to me?**

_How would I know? I haven't even had a boyfriend yet. What does your gut tell u?_

**That I want it to be NYE again so we wouldn't be having this conversation.**

_Tough. Oh your text is here! Opening the pic now..._

**What do u think?**

_Just give me a minute while I pick my tongue up off the floor. He is HOT! And you're still debating whether to call this Greek god?_

**You don't even notice his looks when you're with him. You just look into his eyes and listen to him talk**

_You got it bad LOL_

**I want to see him again Rell.**

_How are you planning to do this without calling him?_

Gabriella hesitated again. Narelle was right.

**Maybe I will call him**

_Atta girl_

**Not tonight tho. I need to think of what I'm going to say.**

_How bout "Troy you amazing hunk of a man, I want you"?_

**Gee Rell, really helpful. Thx.**

_K...how bout you just call him to talk? U don't have to say that you like him or anything. Just call to chat, see how his trip home was or something._

**Maybe I could do that.**

_Just make sure you're taking comprehensive notes through the whole conversation. Because I want to know every word!_

**Would you get your own love life and stop living vicariously through me?**

_LOL. Gotta go, it's bath time and I wanna help. xxoo_

**Cya ;)**

Gabriella sighed as she logged off. Somehow, she had to find the courage to call him. She was a naturally shy person, but that wasn't the only thing stopping her from calling. If only her relationship with Rory had never happened. She knew that her residual fear from that relationship was part of what was holding her back now.

Keeping her away from Troy.

* * *

**A/N Hey guys, I'd really like to know your thoughts on this. Do you think the story is dragging out too long with nothing happening? Please review, I'm kinda starting to lose faith in the story.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: I don't own HSM.**

**Caution: You'd better be over 18 if you're going to read this chapter. I'm just saying.**

The sky was beginning to darken before Troy started to make his way home after his confrontation with Chad. He had run for ages, run until he started to realise that he was in a less familiar part of town. He had turned back, but had still avoided coming home. He needed to think, and he needed to be outside to have clear head.

So he'd made his way over to East High, and spent some time on the outside court working on his game. For all the good it had done. He hadn't made a single basket in all the time he spent on his free throws. The ball had repeatedly bounced off the hoop, the backboard, sometimes just missing completely. It seemed to be intent on further provoking his frustration. But he'd kept at it, wanting to stay away from home as long as he could. He didn't want to see Chad again, and he still wasn't sure that his so-called friend wouldn't turn up again with some lame excuse.

Now, as he headed home, the day was nearly over. The sky had turned a dull pink with a smattering of blue grey clouds on the horizon; the very first star of the night began to twinkle brightly. Troy was now within a few blocks of his own house, territory that was very familiar to him.

Which is why he immediately noticed the changes at the house a few doors down from where he stood.

It was the old Miller place, where an old teaching buddy of his dad's had lived until he'd retired a few months back. It had recently sold and now it appeared that someone had moved in. The new owners had wrapped tiny fairy lights around the two columns that stood on either side of the porch, like twin sentries, and the lights had begun to twinkle gently in the slowly diming daylight.

For the second time in a few days, Troy felt a bizarre force pulling him. The first time, at the lodge, he had been drawn to the sofa where he had located Gabriella's bookmark. Thinking that there might be something in the strange magnetism this time as well, he stopped in his tracks. Quickly, he looked around. No one was there to observe his strange behaviour. Tentatively, he began to walk towards the house that had caught his attention.

He stopped when he was still a little way away, hesitant to be seen standing directly in front of it staring through the windows. But he had to know who lived there. It had suddenly become imperative that he know who was there, and why he was being inexplicably pulled towards them.

As if in response to his intense desire to learn more about the inhabitants, the lights of the front room flicked on. Troy held his breath. It was dark enough outside for him to see whoever had turned the lights on pretty clearly, if they would just step towards the middle of the room.

There _was_ somebody there, standing in front of the floor to ceiling bookshelf on the far wall. There was just a huge lamp in the way – he couldn't see her clearly –

For the person was certainly female. She even had long tendrils of dark hair cascading down her back. He took a few quick steps forward, trying to get a better look through the veil of lace curtains draped over the window. He held his breath. Could it possibly – was there a chance it might be -?

He held his breath, silently willing her to turn around.

_Beep beep!!_

He jumped at the sudden noise on the road beside him. He hadn't even heard a car pull up. Cursing under his breath, he turned to see his mom's SUV drawing to a stop in the street beside him. He quickly strode over to the passenger side door and tugged at the handle.

"Hey Mom. What's up?" He tried to smile innocently, hoping his mom had not just witnessed his peeping-Tom moment.

Lucille raised her eyebrows "What's up? How about the fact that you took off before lunch, without saying a word about where you were going, and haven't answered your cell or any of my messages all day?" She wasn't angry, but Troy could hear the concern laced in her voice.

"Ohhh..." was all Troy could think of. It hadn't occurred to him that his mom might be worried about him. "Sorry Mom. I guess I left my cell at home."

Lucille drew a breath. "It's okay. Normally I wouldn't really worry, you know that, but Chad's been calling half the afternoon looking for you too and so I wasn't sure where you were..." Lucille allowed her sentence to taper off. She didn't want to tell him that she was unusually concerned because his behaviour had been a little odd over the past few days. She smiled at Troy.

"So jump in kiddo, I'll give you a lift home."

Troy paused uncertainly.

"Were you on your way somewhere else?" Lucille asked, misinterpreting his hesitation.

"No, it's just that..." Troy looked over his shoulder, back towards the Miller's living room.

_Shit_.

She was gone, whoever she was.

He swallowed a sigh of frustration. It was a dumb idea, anyway. He was crazy to think that she could live in Albuquerque. He climbed into the front seat, trying to relax his tense shoulders against the leather seat as he closed the door.

He sat silently for a moment, as his mother smoothly shifted the car into drive and applied a little pressure to the accelerator. It was stupid to think that it could be her, but...he had to know for sure.

"Mom? Did Mr Miller ever mention anything about the people who bought his place?" he asked suddenly.

Lucille looked at him curiously. "I don't think so, honey. Why do you ask?"

Troy shrugged. "No reason."

Lucille tapped her finger on the steering wheel, thinking.

"Oh...wait. I think he did say something. That's right, I remember now. He said that the woman he sold it to was a physicist. An extraordinarily intelligent woman, by his account."

"Did...did he say if she had a family? You know, any kids? About my age?" Troy held his breath, afraid of what his mother might say.

"Uh...no, I don't think so. I'm pretty sure he said she was just a single lady. Why are you so interested, sweetie?"

"Oh...it's nothing. I just thought I recognised someone there." He smiled weakly at his mother. "I guess I was wrong."

He flopped back into his seat, disheartened, staring unseeingly out the window as the street rolled by. Once again he marvelled at the intensity of his feelings for a girl he didn't really know. Suddenly, he made a decision. So suddenly that there was no room between knowing what he was going to do and not knowing.

He would email her. It didn't matter that she was in a relationship, and it didn't matter that he didn't know where she lived. He had to see her again, had to know if she felt the same way about him. Everything else could be worked out later.

_

* * *

_

The music throbbed, pulsating through the sparse furniture scattered through the dark, hazy nightclub. Gabriella flicked at a lock of hair that had drifted over one smoky, made up eye. Slowly, from where she was perched on the edge of a barstool, she uncrossed her long, bare legs, before taking elaborate care recrossing them, adjusting her tiny skirt as she did so. She allowed a hint of a smile to play on her full lips. The sexy, athletic man across the crowded room couldn't keep his eyes off her. Suddenly, he was on his feet. It wasn't until he was a few feet away that she realised she recognised him.

"_Troy," she breathed, stunned that he was there. "How...?" _

_He cut her off, seizing her in his strong muscled arms, capturing her lips with his own. Gabriella felt herself go limp in his arms. She grasped his shoulders, desperate to retain some anchor in reality._

_This _is_ reality, her head screamed. _Troy_ is reality..._

_After a long moment Troy broke the kiss but didn't pull away, leaving his lips a tantalising eighth of an inch away from hers. _

"_Ms Montez. It's good to see you again," he said softly. The sexy, low rumble of his almost-whispered comment left her thankful for the stool that was still supporting her. _

_Gabriella stared into his deep blue eyes. Even in the half-light of the nightclub, they burned brightly._

_Burned with desire._

_She struggled to regain control of her hormone-soaked brain, desperately trying to reconnect each individual synapse so that she could respond. _

_His lips were still agonisingly close to hers. She dropped her eyes to his temptingly soft lips as she finally managed to speak._

"_How are you here? With me? I thought you were still at the lodge..."_

_Troy allowed his lips to drift towards hers again, grazing her with a feather-light touch that sent desire pulsating through her body._

"_Silly..." he breathed against her mouth, a sexy smile sweeping across his tanned face. He allowed their lips to almost imperceptibly meet again. "I'm always right here with you. Where you want me to be."_

_Suddenly, he pulled her in closer for a deeper kiss. Gabriella stopped thinking all together and surrendered to the sensation of his arms around her, his lips on hers, his tongue playing gently at the entrance to her mouth. Her eyes drifted shut as she responded to the urgency in his kiss._

_Troy gently left her mouth, trailing kisses along her cheek and drifting around to her small, delicate ear. _

"_Lie back," he murmured. Another thrill shot through Gabriella's body as she felt the heat of his breath._

"_Lie back..?" she whispered, confused. She opened her eyes and was a little surprised to realise that they were in her room, on her bed. Her bed in Albuquerque. The smoky, warm air from the nightclub still swirled around them. Then Troy kissed her again and she forgot to think at all. _

_Gently, without releasing her from his arms, Troy lowered her back onto her pillows. He gradually unfurled himself against her and they were lying pressed against one another, their lips still joined. _

_Troy continued to caress her tongue, her lips, with his own. Gabriella whimpered against his lips as she tried to pull him even closer – something that was almost physically impossible. Troy chuckled in response._

"_It's okay, baby. Just relax...let me take care of you." As he spoke, Troy moved his lips to the soft skin of her neck, dropping light kisses along the length of it until he reached her delicate collarbone. He ran his tongue against the subtle ridge, causing Gabriella to shiver with need. As his tongue worked along the front of her shoulders, his hand began to lightly stroke the length of her tanned, bare arm. _

_Gently, Troy moved over to her right arm, nudging the flimsy straps of her glossy satin top from her shoulder with his lips. Moving across to the other arm, dropping sensual kisses along her collarbones the whole way, he similarly dispatched of the other strap. His strong, capable fingers trailed up the front of her slinky black top, deftly flicking open the tiny pearl buttons that traced a path towards the gentle valley between her breasts._

_As the fingers of his left hand arrived at the last button between her breasts, he met them with his mouth. Still kissing every inch of warm golden skin he hovered over on his way down, he brushed aside the two sides of her top with his mouth, first the left, then the right. She lay then almost naked, a soft pool of black satin on either side of her torso, her beautiful breasts encased in a cobweb of black lace. Her lower body was encased only in her miniscule charcoal skirt, leaving the greater part of her slim legs bare. _

_Troy's breath caught as he looked down at her torso, covered only with the flimsy, translucent fabric of her bra. _

"_So beautiful," he murmured, gently anointing first one breast and then the other with his soft lips. _

_Gabriella moaned, holding his head closer against her body. Eagerly Troy obliged, taking the delicate weight of one breast into his mouth, tracing his tongue over the lace covered tip. It hardened further in response, having much the same effect on Troy. Suddenly groaning deeply, he returned to Gabriella's mouth. _

"_Gabriella," he whispered between kisses. "May I...?"_

_She nodded, knowing what he was asking, but not willing to remove her lips from his. They sat up, moving as one, so as to negate the need to break their kiss. Gabriella felt his strong warm hands slide the straps of her top from her arms, before he tossed the satin garment to the floor. His hands returned to her shoulders, massaging gently, mirroring the steady action of his lips on hers. Slowly his hands drifted down her back before resting on her bra strap. He fought to open his eyes, brushing her eyelids with his eyelashes to induce her to do the same. He pulled away a little, looking into her eyes questioningly._

"_I'm sure, Troy." Gabriella whispered. Even if she hadn't been, the heavy lidded desire in his blue eyes would have been enough to push her over the edge. She loved him for his consideration even in the heat of passion._

_Troy's fingers began to play at the clasp of her bra strap, flicking it open easily. He allowed his fingers to glide lightly up over her shoulder blades, to where her shoulder straps were perched. He moved his hands sensuously along the length of her arms, taking the insubstantial weight of her lingerie with him. His breathing became a little irregular as he took in the sight of her naked breasts, excruciatingly close to his eager hands. _

_Slowly, he returned his eyes to her face, allowing the magnetism of their mutual attraction to pull his lips to hers. Gabriella, surrendering once more to the passion he conveyed through their kiss, pulled him closer, her small hands grasping his muscled back through his pale blue shirt. She began to move against him insistently, wanting more, yet not knowing what 'more' was._

_But Troy knew. _

_In response to the urgency radiating from Gabriella, he let his hand drift down the side of her body, caressing her skin the entire way. Arriving at the zip that nestled against the side of her hip, he slowly tugged it down. _

_The skirt now sat loosely on Gabriella's hips. Impatiently, she lifted her lower body, allowing him to remove the skirt entirely. She was vaguely aware of that item also sailing through the air before joining her other clothes on the floor._

_Now clothed only in a tiny black lace thong, she shamelessly and insistently pulled Troy back towards her body. She took his mouth urgently with her own, but only succeeded in increasing her frustration and desire. _

_She wanted, she needed... she didn't know what it was she wanted and needed. She only knew that she would shatter into a million pieces if she didn't get it soon._

_Sensing her urgency, Troy wrapped one strong arm around her shoulder, clasping her upper body to his as he intensified the kiss. With his other hand, he traced a line down towards the very centre of her desire. Brushing aside the delicate lace that barely covered the most private and sensitive part of her body, he began to trail his finger over the hyper-sensitive skin. Gabriella moaned against his lips. _

_Understanding her unspoken command, Troy dragged his finger gently over the opening of her lips. His fingers glided easily in the light dew that had accumulated there. Slowly, gently, he allowed his index finger to dip between her folds. _

_Gabriella began to writhe with frustrated yearning. Kissing her gently, Troy tried to calm her, to persuade her to allow him to lead her to the stars. _

_Understanding the unspoken meaning behind his kisses, Gabriella tried to still her throbbing body by pressing closer against Troy's hard, muscular chest while his fingers continued their exquisite torture. _

_Gabriella began to have difficulty breathing as she felt the burning desire build inside of her. Troy had located the very centre of her being and was teasingly running the pad of his thumb over it, revelling in her growing frenzy. He moved a little faster, a little harder, causing Gabriella's frantic movements to increase accordingly._

_Gabriella almost ceased to breathe completely as she felt the sparks beginning somewhere down in her stomach. The sparks built and grew hotter, faster, more intense, as did Troy's fingers. She suddenly caught Troy's hard shoulders in her hands as she simultaneously felt the first spasm rock her body._

"_Oh my God...TROY!!" she screamed, losing her usual timidity as her body was totally overtaken with passion._

Gabriella awoke with a start.

She gasped a little, trying to steady her breathing.

_Wow._

She took a minute, staring in to the darkness, trying to grasp the sexy scenario that had just played out in her head. Not just in her head, she realised, as she registered the faint throb of post-orgasmic bliss between her damp thighs. A faint blush crept up her cheeks are she began to relive the details of her dream.

She was surprised at the intensity of the dream. She wasn't even sexually active. She and Rory had fooled around a little, but nothing remotely close to what had played out in her dream. She shifted slightly, not wanting to mix thoughts of Rory with the pleasurable feeling still coursing gently through her body.

_But if my first time is anything like that, Mr Bolton is welcome anytime_, she thought mischievously. She knew she was only kidding. Her virginity and her sex life in general were something she took very seriously.

Which is what most of her problems with Rory came back to.

She rolled over onto her side, sighing, and tucked her pillow more comfortably under her head. She really didn't want to think about Rory. She had spent too much time on him as it was.

* * *

Gabriella and Rory had been dating for almost a year when her mother had come home from work and announced that they were leaving Denver, Colorado, for San Francisco. She had begged her mother to try to find a way out of the transfer, but the research project that Maria had been called in to head had been completed, so it was on to San Francisco.

Gabriella remembered how she had run out of the house, straight over to see Rory. She smiled bitterly as she remembered how he hadn't been home that day, and neither had he been at football practice when she had checked there. If only she had known then what she was to learn a few months later.

When she had finally told him that she was leaving within two weeks, he had held her close and begged her not to end their relationship. He had wheedled, cajoled, coaxed, until she had finally agreed to continue their relationship long-distance.

She winced as she remembered that she hadn't even wondered why he'd wanted it like that. She had innocently assumed it was because he loved her.

She couldn't have been more wrong.

Her final two weeks in Denver had been a whirlwind of farewell parties, group dinners at the pizzeria, movie nights with his friends. Gabriella did not consider her huge group of associates as her friends; she understood that they were hangers-on who merely clung to her for the notoriety that came with her role as the star quarterback's girlfriend. Most couldn't believe that 'Roar-y, star of the Lincoln High Lions football team', had chosen the quiet academic girl as his girlfriend. Sometimes she hadn't quite believed it herself.

She felt the sting of tears behind her eyes as she thought about the people and events that she usually shoved from her thoughts as soon as they tiptoed around the edge of her conscious mind. It wasn't that she loved him; she had long since dispensed with those feelings - if indeed she'd ever felt love for him. She doubted that more and more as time went by. No, it was the intense betrayal that still stung.

She had been in San Francisco a little over a month when the first hints of his cruelty had begun to appear via MySpace. First it was just the odd semi-malicious comment; she had written it off as the jealously that she had often encountered as the school's star athlete's girlfriend.

But it had steadily increased, until it became blatant bullying. She started to get bombarded with cruel emails and pictures of her and Rory making out, pictures that she hadn't even been aware of people taking. Often the pictures had been doctored to make them appear more sexually suggestive than they actually were.

She remembered how she had first become suspicious of Rory's involvement when the pictures became more and more intimate. She was to learn later that he'd often given his buddies details of where they planned to go on their dates, so that they could take these surreptitious photos.

Trying to talk to Rory had not led to her understanding any better. The abuse was getting completely out of hand when she finally received an explanation.

She wondered if she would have forgiven Rory if he had told her himself. _Probably not_, she thought, as she lay safe in her bed in Albuquerque.

No, the explanation had come from a quiet girl called Andrea, a girl who was most definitely not one of the hangers-on and whom Gabriella hardly knew.

Andrea had called her one day, out of the blue. Gabriella had never asked how she'd gotten her number. She'd been too numbed by the story Andrea had related to ask.

She could almost hear Andrea's hesitant, softly spoken words in the stillness of the New Mexico night.

"_Gabriella...it's Andrea. Andrea Sweenson. From the AV club? At Lincoln."_

"_Hi Andrea...what's up?"_

_Andrea had hesitated again before her words came tumbling out in a rush. "I think you should know what people are saying. I heard people talking about you in the cafeteria again today and I know it's not true. You have been so kind to me, when we did that math project together, and I just know you can't have any idea what they're saying."_

_Gabriella had heard the tears in the other girl's voice threaten to overcome her. _

"_Andrea, it's okay...what are you talking about?"_

_The other girl had taken a deep breath. "Rory. It was all over school before you left, but it's worse now. Much worse, they have pictures-"_

_Gabriella had broken into Andrea's distressed words. _

"_What is?" she had asked, her heart pounding in her ears._

"_The bet. Last summer, Rory made a bet with the rest of the football team that he could get you to sleep with him. He's had his buddies follow you guys on dates to try to get pictures that look like you're ... you know."_

_Gabriella's head had spun. Their whole relationship was because of some bet? But he'd told her he loved her..._

_Andrea was still speaking. "There's more. Since you left, Rory's been telling anyone who'll listen what a firecracker you are in bed, and how you can't get enough of him. He - he says that's all you guys do when he flies to San Francisco to see you. He keeps going on about how easy you are, and how you've already done half the athletes at your new school."_

_Andrea had paused for an instant before dropping the final bomb. "He's also not being...faithful to you."_

_Despite the hurt running through her veins Gabriella had almost laughed out loud. As if his cheating mattered now. It had suddenly made sense. The sly jibes from his buddies, the way his hands had tried to run over her inappropriately whenever there were other people around. _

_And the massive amount of pressure he had put on her to sleep with him._

* * *

Gabriella shuddered at her unpleasant musings as she pulled her covers more tightly around her shoulders. She had confronted Rory the same day, and he hadn't even denied it. He seemed to take pleasure in the fact that he'd gotten away with it for so long.

That was when she had discontinued her activity on MySpace. She had cut every single one of her 'friends' at Lincoln out of her life, and hadn't looked back since.

She sighed again, curling her arms around one of her fluffy white pillows. All of that had been what had caused her to leave Troy suddenly at the lodge. Her inability to trust anyone had kept her from kissing him when she had so badly wanted to, and had kept her from hanging around long enough to see if he had wanted to kiss her.

It was also what had kept her from calling him. As much as she had liked him, the last thing she wanted was another long distance relationship. She had fought with herself on an almost hourly basis over this. Was it so bad to just call him? No one had said anything about a relationship. It was just two people who hit it off chatting on the phone. But on the other hand, she had experienced something intense when she was with him. Surely that would just lead to something, and then she would be back where she had been with Rory.

She looked over the top of her pillow, out the window, and saw from the hint of colour in the sky that dawn was breaking. She smiled, choosing to see the symbolism in the new dawn. It _was_ a new start – a new town, a new school. New friends. She decided to focus on that for a while, and leave Troy as a pleasant – and somewhat erotic, she thought, grinning – memory.

For the time being, anyway.

**A/N Thankyou everybody who reviewed last chapter, you gave me the will to keep going :)****. You also gave me some brilliant ideas, and I will try to incorporate some of them. I just wanted to apologise for the fact that it's taking so long for Troyella to meet up but I promise it will be in the next chapter or two. I want them to meet as much as you do (I love writing Troyella fluff!) but this story is determined to tell itself at its own pace. So please stick with me, and if it becomes too awful, let me know. Please remember that reviews don't have to be only positive (although the positive ones always make my day). **


	9. Chapter 9

**

* * *

**

Disclaimer: I don't own these characters. But I like to lie awake at night and fantasise that I do.

The three nights remaining before school went back passed for Troy with agonising slowness, filled with haunting dreams of Gabriella. He was eager to return to his studies in an attempt to focus on something besides Gabriella. Not to mention the championships, which were now less than two weeks away.

The screech of the alarm jolted Troy from his sleep a little after six on Monday morning. Groaning, he rolled over and turned it off without opening his eyes.

As per what had become the norm, he had been dreaming of Gabriella. And although he knew it was a dream, he knew with equal certainty that as soon as he opened his eyes the last fragments of the dream would slip away.

Troy lay quietly, adjusting to his recently conferred state of wakefulness slowly. Even with his eyes closed, the image of her, the scent of her perfume, the feel of her warm golden skin against his was gradually slipping away.

After a few minutes he let his lashes gently drift open. He shifted his thoughts towards the coming school day and grimaced.

He had still not spoken to Chad properly since he'd discovered his deception at the pizzeria on Wednesday night. Similarly, he had not emailed Gabriella, although that remained his intention. He did not relish the idea of arriving at school with the problem with Chad still unresolved, and somehow in his head the two problems were entwined. He didn't know if he could begin to work through his anger with Chad until he knew what was going to happen with Gabriella.

Or even _if_ anything was going to happen.

Troy sighed as he hauled himself into a sitting position, his bare legs dangling over the side of his bed. He knew that he and Chad had to sort things out. They had been friends too long for anything to leave a lasting rift in their relationship, no matter how wrong Chad's actions had been or how mad Troy was as a result.

Reaching across to the small set of three drawers beside his bed, Troy picked up his cell, disconnecting the charger cable as he did so. He flipped his phone open and quickly scrolled through to Chad's number.

He sat in silence for a few moments, the phone cradled in his palm and his thumb hovering over the call button. He wanted to get through this call with their friendship restored; yet he still did not believe that Chad fully grasped the reasons behind his anger. He truly believed that Chad still thought it was all about 'some random girl'. And it was, partially. But as much as it still hurt to have lost her number, Troy was honestly more grieved at Chad's underhanded tactics and conviction that he could decide who Troy should spend time with.

The broader aspects of this issue had come up often in their relationship, but they had up until now and by unspoken agreement avoided any upfront discussion of it. More than once, and with alarming regularity in recent months, an incident would occur wherein Troy would make his own decision, based on his own feelings and opinions, rather than following the tidal pull of the masses – whether it be within his and Chad's relationship, or within the basketball team, or even the whole of the East High student body. Chad, on the other hand, was a through-and-through conformist, and very susceptible to peer pressure. These two opposing perspectives coupled with the intimacy of an almost life-long friendship had brought them to the confronting position they now found themselves in.

Troy bit his lip, unsure of how he was going to transmitt his reflections into a conversation with Chad. Not when Chad really had no idea of what he'd really done wrong. Finally he decided to just wing it. He didn't know what else he could do. And with school due to start in a couple of hours, deferral was not really an option any longer.

He pressed the call button and lifted the phone to his ear. He could just imagine how his friend would look at that very instant. He would still be asleep, of course. Chad never woke up a second before he had to. And he usually 'had to' right about the time his mother started stopping by his door at five minute intervals and pounding on the door. Troy could see him in his mind's eye, stretched out on his stomach, snoring – the only way he ever slept. His face would be barely visible under the cloud of curly hair, which usually flopped down over his cheek and eye as he slept.

"Somebody better be dead," Chad's voice was muffled with sleep.

"I agree. Lucky for you, I'm the forgiving type." Despite his intention to resolve their differences, Troy's tone held an element of coolness.

"Troy?" The surprise was evident in Chad's voice. Clearly he hadn't looked at his phone before he answered it. "What...why...?"

Troy let Chad scramble for words and gave him a moment to shake of the fog of sleep before he cut him off.

"Chad. I'm still mad. I think I have every right to be. But when it comes down to it, we're more than that. So..." Despite his earlier introspection, Troy suddenly found himself at a loss for words. How did he forgive when he could still feel the tight fist of anger clenching his gut?

Chad swallowed audibly. "I really am sorry, man. I mean I really, really am. I don't even know what I was thinking. I just didn't want you to ... you know, lose your focus. With the game, and all."

"How could you think that I would let anything stop me from playing my absolute best? Girl or no girl, you should have more faith in me than that. "

"I know." Troy could almost see Chad hanging his head shamefacedly, and grinned a little in spite of himself. Chad's voice was tentative as he asked the next question. "So are we...are we good now?"

"We're better," Troy said cautiously. "But I need to know that you understand that it wasn't all about Gabriella. The way you just went into my phone and deleted a number was just...It's not cool, man. Do you get what I'm trying to say? It's about my privacy, and respect."

"I know." Chad said again. "I don't know what else I can say. All I can do is give you my word that it won't happen again. I'm sorry, dude."

"I know," Troy said softly. "It's okay, man." It wasn't really, on many levels, but for the reasons that mattered most – preserving the relationship between two men who had shared a brotherly love since preschool - it had to be.

Troy attempted a smile. "So I guess I'll see you in school?"

* * *

Gabriella stood in front of her closet, trying to decide what to wear for her first day at East High. Quickly she rifled through the satin padded hangers, discarding each choice almost as soon as she made it.

She grinned at herself wryly. She wasn't normally the type to be so concerned about what she wore.

Decisively, she pulled a green and white patterned skirt off the hanger, and selected a pale pink camisole top to wear with it. Crossing to her bed, she laid the outfit out on top of it. She tipped her head slightly to one side as she looked at it. It would be fine, she assured herself. It was only the usual first-day butterflies in her tummy that made her so sartorially concerned.

She walked back across the room to her stereo, pressing play and flicking the volume right up. Her favourite dance track began to play.

_Put your sneakers on...put your sneakers on...we're going dancin' all night long..._

Gabriella grinned as she began to dance her way over to her en suite bathroom. Dancing was definitely the only way to begin the day and lose all those first-day jitters.

* * *

Less than two hours later, Gabriella began to question the effectiveness of her dancing cure. Sure, it had worked in the safety of her own bedroom, but where the hell were the tunes now, when she really needed them?

She quickened her pace to keep up with Principal Matsui and her mother as they hurried through the broad, airy halls of East High. She tried to look around as she walked, in an attempt to distract her thoughts.

The halls had been crowded with other kids when they had left the principal's office a few minutes earlier. Now, the numbers had thinned dramatically as people began to drift towards their homerooms. A warning bell sounded as they continued towards a small flight of stairs. Gabriella silently recited the directions Principal Matsui had given her earlier. Turn left at the top of the stairs, and then it was the third door on the right. Her new homeroom.

Gabriella turned to her mother desperately.

"Mom, my stomach-"she began.

"Is always nervous on a first day at a new school." her mother finished. Her tone was soothing; she understood how hard it was for Gabriella to immerse herself in a new school environment so frequently. 

With this in mind, she continued. "You'll do great. You always do. And, I made my company promise I can't be transferred again until you graduate."

Gabriella looked at her mother beseechingly. Even knowing that she would see out her high school career in the same place did not make the ordeal she still had to go through any easier.

"I've reviewed your impressive transcripts." Principal Matsui contributed. "I expect your light will shine very brightly here at East High." He handed her a manila folder containing the documents she would need to give to her teachers as she arrived at each class.

Gabriella turned back to her mother. Comforting platitudes were not helping. "I don't want to be the school's freaky genius girl again," she insisted, still a little distressed.

Maria cupped her daughter's face in her soft, warm hands. "Then just be Gabriella," she said. Her heart ached at what her career was putting her little girl through yet again. Quickly, she kissed Gabriella on the forehead, fighting the sudden swell of emotion in her breast.

Principal Matsui touched Gabriella lightly on the arm. "This way," he said, gently nudging her towards the stairs. Gabriella sent one last desperate look back at her mother. Maria offered a cheerful wave, smiling even as her heart ached with sympathy.

"Bye," she mouthed.

With one final look over her shoulder, Gabriella quickly trotted upstairs, heading for homeroom and whoever her new classmates would turn out to be.

* * *

After a short search, Gabriella located her new homeroom. She hesitated at the door for a moment. It appeared that all of the other students had arrived, as most of the desks were occupied. Some boys near the front were tossing a basketball back and forth as other people sat scattered around the room, talking quietly amongst themselves.

Taking a breath, Gabriella stepped inside the room. No one paid any attention to her. She moved quickly towards the middle of the classroom, trying to figure out where she should sit. She turned around and noticed the homeroom teacher seated at the front, sipping from a cup of tea. Gabriella stepped closer.

"Hi, I'm Gabriella Montez, I'm a new student and-" Gabriella stopped as the teacher silently put out her hand for the form without even glancing up from her paperwork. Gabriella quickly removed it from her manila folder and then moved to the empty desk at the back that the teacher had indicated. She sank into her seat gratefully as the bell rang.

"Welcome back students!" the teacher spoke loudly, speaking over the gradually diminishing din of student conversation. The noise petered out entirely as she continued. "We have a few announcements to get through for the new semester, so kindly pay attention!" She spoke in the commanding drone that seemed to be the standard tone for most teachers. Gabriella tried to remember her name. Mrs Rochester, she thought. That was it.

Gabriella's attention drifted as the teacher began to speak about activities and events that would be taking place throughout the semester. She took out her new timetable and looked down at it. Algebra was first. She smiled a little. She would be okay for the first period at least. In math her foot was on her native heath.

The bell rang for the end of homeroom. Gathering up her books, Gabriella tried to juggle her bag on her shoulder with the manila folder in her right hand. With her left hand she scooped up the handouts that the teacher had passed around. Awkwardly, trying to manage her load as she walked out the door, she rifled through the handouts. Something about a pep rally later in the week...a message from the drama club...a reminder about the cafeteria menu. She shoved them in her bag and walked quickly towards her new locker.

* * *

Gabriella sat hunched over her work. She had finished the first page, her quick brain easily overcoming each of the challenging problems the class had been set. A speedy perusal reassured her that her equations were correct. The teacher stood at the blackboard, writing up more problems.

Gabriella chewed her pen as she sat back to ponder one of the equations the teacher had already written. She frowned slightly, and then looked back down at her page where she had worked it out.

"That should be sixteen over pi," she murmured. She spoke without thinking; had she taken the time to, her shyness would surely have kept her silent.

The teacher looked over towards Gabriella. "Yes, Ms Montez?" she questioned.

Gabriella felt a faint blush begin to creep up her cheeks. "I'm sorry, I was just...uh..."

The teacher looked at her expectantly.

Gabriella decided that there was nothing to be gained from keeping silent now. She took a breath. "Shouldn't the second equation read sixteen over pi?"

"Six_teen_ over pi?" the teacher asked sceptically. "That's quite impossible." The teacher's tone was a little condescending; however, she took the time to double-check her work in the text book laid open on her desk.

A look of surprise coupled with satisfaction crossed her face. "I stand corrected," she declared, impressed. Her tone expressed the words as a compliment.

Gabriella flushed with delight and turned modestly back to her work.

"Oh," the teacher added, turning to Gabriella once more. "And welcome aboard," She spoke her words with a friendly grin.

Gabriella returned her smile and moved onto the newest problem that the teacher had just finished writing out. She was lost in her thoughts when she felt a tap on her arm.

"Hey," the girl sitting next to her whispered. Gabriella lifted her gaze to find herself looking at a girl her own age, with smooth dark brown skin and curly dark hair.

"Hi," she responded softly.

"I'm Taylor," the other girl said. "That was awesome work on that problem. "

Gabriella smiled. "Thanks. And I'm Gabriella."

Taylor nodded, smiling. She looked up at the board and then back at Gabriella, seemingly torn between continuing their conversation and continuing with the math problems. "Listen...would you like to have lunch with me today?"

Delight suffused Gabriella's delicate features. "Sure," she smiled. "That would be great."

"Great. So I'll meet you there," Taylor offered one last grin before she turned back to her work. Gabriella did the same, a smile still playing around her lips. Taylor's small offer had made the world of difference to her nerves. Somehow, school was a lot less scary after the first tentative steps towards a new friendship had been made.

* * *

Later that afternoon, Gabriella and Taylor sat side by side in the library, clutching each other's arms, collapsed in a helpless mess of giggles that they were desperately trying to smother.

Gabriella tried to regain her composure, attempting to straighten up. She could not remember the last time she had laughed so hard. Wiping the corner of her eye, she looked down at Taylor, who was still doubled over with laughter beside her. "Are you serious?" she asked, gasping, trying to get her breath back after her fit of laughter. "He really said that?"

Taylor nodded, another giggle slipping out. "He really did."

Gabriella shook her head, still chuckling. "Sometimes guys are just completely unbelievable."

The girls had met up at twelve fifteen, at the beginning of lunch period. Immediately they had fallen into conversation, discovering that they had more and more in common as each minute passed. Taylor had divulged that she was president of the East High Chemistry Club, and Gabriella had shared her own interests in chemistry, algebra and trigonometry. At the end of lunch, they had checked their schedules and had discovered that they both had a study period next. Taylor had invited Gabriella to join her in the library, but so far they had gotten little work done.

Discussion of their mutual love of math and science had flowed onto subjects common with most teenage girls – home, friends, parents and now, finally boys. Taylor had been relating the story of some guy who had recently tried to ask her out and had succeeded only in embarrassing himself. He had been a member of the Chem Club, of course. Taylor had already told Gabriella her rules about mixing only with fellow academics.

Another giggle threatened to overcome Taylor and she bit her lip to stop it. People were starting to look up at them. She lowered her voice so as to avoid having the librarian come over with a spoken warning to keep quiet.

"What about you? I mean, do you have a boyfriend or anything?"

"No...no. No." Gabriella stuttered a little as she tried to keep her answer casual.

Taylor grinned knowingly. "That was two 'no's too many. Spill."

The librarian shot the two girls a look before nodding towards the 'Quiet Please' sign. The girls leaned closer together and lowered their voices.

Gabriella blushed. "I really don't have a boyfriend. It's just ... there is this guy I kinda like."

Taylor nodded, waiting for Gabriella to continue. "And?" she prompted.

"It's silly, really. He's just this guy I met at the ski lodge we went to for New Year's Eve." Gabriella dropped her gaze and toyed with the silver heart that dangled from the fine silver chain around her neck.

The librarian looked towards the two girls once again and uttered a muted shushing sound. Quickly, and in unison, the girls picked up their text books and slouched down further into their chairs, holding the books in front of their faces.

"He must have been something for you to be still blushing over him a week later," Taylor mused. "What was he like?"

As always when she tried to describe Troy, Gabriella struggled to find the right words. "He was just...incredible. So sweet, so...something I can't find a word for. It just felt right, you know? Being with him."

Taylor raised an eyebrow. "So did anything...you know...happen?"

Gabriella's blush deepened. "No. I didn't even kiss him. Anyway it doesn't matter because I don't even know where he lives."

Taylor toyed with her pencil. "So what's his name?"

The librarian seemed to have reached the end of her patience and was quickly walking towards them, the soft soles of her shoes moving soundlessly over the carpet.

"Girls!" she hissed. "I will remind you that this is a place of learning! Kindly keep your voices down." She glared first at Taylor, then at Gabriella, and then left without another word.

Gabriella and Taylor both stared straight ahead at their books, knowing that if they so much as looked at each other they would explode into giggles once more. Thankfully, the bell signalling the end of the period rang at that moment. Quickly they grabbed their books and stuffed them into their bags, walking sedately out of the library before they finally collapsed with mirth.

"What...what's so funny?" Gabriella gasped between peals of laughter.

"I don't know!" Taylor wheezed. "Why are you laughing?"

The idea that they had forgotten the reason for their laughter tickled them further and they took another few moments to compose themselves.

"So. What do you have next?" Taylor asked, all business now that she had controlled her laughter. Gabriella got the feeling that she rarely let herself go like she had a moment before. She smiled to herself. She could understand that. She was much the same herself.

"Ummm..." Gabriella dug through her bag for her schedule. "English Lit."

Taylor's eyes lit up. "The advanced course? With Mr Nixon?"

Gabriella nodded. "Yup."

"Great!" Taylor enthused. "You're with me again! Come on – I'll show you the way."

The girls snaked their way through the honeycomb of hallways of East High. Gabriella tried to memorise the route they were taking – that was always one of the hardest parts of adjusting to a new school. Other than familiarising herself with her new classmates, of course.

Suddenly Gabriella found herself face to face with someone she was _very_ familiar with. She stopped in mid-step, her jaw dropping in shock.

"...and of course I took the advanced Chem back in my sophomore year, which is why they've let me take on – Gabriella? What's wrong?" Taylor stopped and looked at Gabriella, who was frozen in position a few steps behind her.

Gabriella struggled to get her mouth to work, still gazing in shock at the massive poster spread across one giant wall in the hallway they were traversing.

Her speech finally kicking into gear, she managed to utter just a few words. "Who-who is that?" she asked, rather pointlessly. She knew exactly who it was.

Taylor rolled her eyes. "Lunkhead Basketball Man. Otherwise known as Troy Bolton, East High's sweetheart. If sweaty, smelly jocks who contribute nothing of value to society are your thing."

Oh, he was very definitely her thing. Or so she had thought.

"But...how...?" Gabriella was still struggling to understand exactly what had happened. Was it possible...was she really at the _same school_ as Troy? The boy who had stolen her heart with just one song?

Taylor grasped Gabriella by the shoulders, forcing her to look her in the eye. "Gabriella? What's going on?"

Gabriella stared at the poster for another few seconds before she registered Taylor's words. "It's...it's him. Troy. My Troy. From the lodge." She lost her ability to speak again as she let her eyes rove over the features she'd seen every night in her dreams since they'd parted. His lips...his eyes...the deep blue eyes that she'd gladly drown in.

Suddenly she began to panic. He wasn't the Troy she'd thought he was! East High's sweetheart, Taylor had said. Another high-profile jock! She backed away from the poster.

"Wait. You're telling me that Troy Bolton, _East High's_ Troy Bolton, is the guy you fell in love with at some ski lodge?"

"I didn't _fall_ in love. I was damn well _pushed_!" Gabriella was desperate to fight against the situation she suddenly found herself in, and struck out at Taylor with her emphatic protestation. It didn't even occur to her to deny that what she felt was love.

"Umm...pushed by whom, exactly?" Taylor teased. She was amused by the frustration evident in her new friend's voice.

"By...I don't know...fate! Or hormones. Yes! I blame hormones! They have a hell of a lot to answer for, you know." Gabriella looked at Taylor seriously, as if delivering an important accusation.

"Wow. This is a lot to take in," Taylor said, shaking her head.

"Uh huh," was all Gabriella could manage.

Taylor grabbed Gabriella by the arm. "Come on. We have to get to class."

"Yeah..." Gabriella allowed herself to be dragged away, with one last lingering look at the poster that had suddenly and unexpectedly catapulted Troy back into her life.

* * *

**A/N Please tell me what you thought of that. You don't know how much your reviews mean to me! Even if you hated it - or especially if you hated it, I really need to know. Thanks!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: Okay, you know I don't own HSM. You don't have to keep rubbing it in :p**

* * *

By Wednesday afternoon Gabriella had begun to relax in her new environment. Her friendship with Taylor continued to flourish, and the girls had already begun to fall into the habit of hanging out together almost every day. Admittedly, the two girls were equally dedicated to their studies, so most of their time together was spent poring over their books. But underneath their scholarly veneers was something most people never thought of in conjunction with the duo – ordinary sixteen year old girls. Within their newfound friendship, Gabriella and Taylor had instantly felt at ease expressing this side of themselves. Gabriella was alone, however, as she made her way towards her locker after last period on Wednesday.

She was walking along the long, bright hallway, her eyes running over her notebook where she had been taking notes during class. Social Science was not something she had been enrolled in at her previous schools, and she had found the semester outline engrossing.

Gabriella's ballet flats moved soundlessly along the glossy floor as she rounded the corner. The din created by students making their way to their lockers and leaving the campus had begun to recede by this time, allowing the sound of people singing to carry sweetly through the suddenly much-quieter building.

Two people singing, to be exact.

A curious smile began to play around the corners of Gabriella's mouth as she stopped to listen, and then tiptoed towards the doorway a few yards from where she stood.

_Auditorium_, she read on the shiny silver plate beside the door.

Her interest piqued, Gabriella slipped through the doors into a short corridor, which opened into the back of the auditorium. She slid part of her head around the corner to catch a glimpse of whoever was singing, leaving the greater part of her body hidden behind the wall adjoining the door. Her left hand rested lightly on the doorjamb.

Up on the stage, a blonde haired boy and girl were singing and dancing energetically to show music pumping from a stereo on the floor a dozen feet or so from where they stood. As Gabriella watched, they seemed to lose themselves in the music and threw themselves vigorously into the moves. Without noticing, Gabriella became so absorbed in their singing and skilled, flowing movements that she drifted down the steep aisle a little, and quietly sat in one of the seats adjoining the aisle.

The music came to an abrupt conclusion, with both singers throwing themselves into dramatic end poses. Suddenly, the dazzling smile pasted on the blonde girl's beautiful face vanished, and an annoyed scowl took its place.

"Ryan!" she shrieked. "I thought we _talked_ about the _jazz squares_!"

The boy – Ryan - uttered something inaudible from the back of the large auditorium. His back was now to Gabriella, who sat alone in the audience.

"Well I DON'T!" the girl spat angrily. She spun on one silver three inch heel, her pink skirt flaring briefly as she did so, and stalked off into the wings. Ryan remained alone on the stage, bathed in the strong light of the spotlight. He reached down and picked up a small white towel before he began to gently wipe the sweat from his forehead.

Quietly, Gabriella rose, intending to slip out of the room before her presence was noticed. At that moment, however, Ryan turned to face the many rows of seats.

"Hey! Is anyone there?" He squinted, obviously having trouble seeing through the strong stage lights.

Gabriella froze. Was she not supposed to be there? Should she just go? Or should she answer him?

Ryan solved her dilemma by stepping out of the spotlight and moving towards the extreme right of the stage. He could now see her clearly.

"Hey!" he called, his tone not unfriendly. Taking a deep breath, Gabriella turned to face him.

Ryan had already moved down the short flight of stairs leading from the stage into the audience and was walking up the red carpeted aisle towards her.

"Hi," she smiled shyly.

Ryan had almost reached her. "Hi," he said. "Interested in our little drama club?" He flashed a friendly smile. "Don't let Sharpay put you off."

He was standing directly in front of her now and stuck his hand out, taking hers in an affable shake. "I don't recognise you from any of our other shows, so you must be new to the drama scene. I'm Ryan."

Gabriella blushed as she shook his hand. "Gabriella," she said. "And I'm not really interested in drama. I'm just new to the school and ... I heard you guys singing as I was walking past. You're really good."

Ryan smiled ruefully. "Sharpay's really good. I'm more just there to help her look good." Changing the subject, he added "So you're new to East High? Welcome! I'd offer to show you around but, well, outside of the theatre I don't actually know much about anything here." He spread his hands with disarming helplessness.

Gabriella smiled. "It seemed to me that you know plenty about the theatre, anyway. Is that your girlfriend you were singing with?"

Ryan shook his head with a laugh. "No, my sister. My twin. She's...well, she's known for being East High's drama queen. I'm not sure if there's a compliment intended there or not. What about you? Do you sing?"

Gabriella shrugged modestly. "Not really. A little," she said uncomfortably. Ryan misinterpreted her discomfort.

"That doesn't mean you wouldn't be welcomed in the drama club. Sharpay and I are co-presidents and we always welcome new people." He chuckled as he imagined Sharpay's reaction if she'd been there to hear him say that. "There's always lots of stuff to do besides singing. Although I will admit that our faculty drama coordinator has a fascination with musicals. Sometimes we-"

He was cut short as a high pitched scream of frustration cut though the air, echoing around the auditorium. Ryan winced as he anticipated the command that was sure to follow. In about five...four...three...two...

"RYAN!" his sister bellowed at the top of her lungs. Gabriella struggled to connect the demanding, yelling creature that was apparently in the middle of some kind of meltdown with the beautiful starlet who had been singing and dancing with so much grace and talent just a few moments before.

Ryan gave Gabriella a quick smile. "Listen, I have to go. But remember what I said. You're more than welcome to just come along to a meeting of the drama club to take a look at what we do, or just stop by here sometime. I'm here most afternoons-" He was cut off again by the sharp tap of heels on the polished wooden floor of the stage. He looked over his shoulder. Sharpay was squinting down into the audience seats, much as he had done a few minutes before, so he knew she wouldn't be able to see him. Still, it was always better not to keep her waiting.

He began to jog back down the aisle, towards the stage, while looking at Gabriella over his shoulder. "Drop by sometime. It was nice to meet you!" He tossed her a little wave before he trotted smartly up the short flight of stairs.

Gabriella smiled as she turned and walked out of the auditorium and continued her journey to her locker. He seemed nice, but all the same, she knew that she wouldn't be back to join the drama club. She still couldn't quite believe she'd found the courage to sing in public on New Year's Eve, so she really doubted that...

The smile slipped from her face as memories of New Year's Eve suddenly intruded on her thoughts. Since her discovery two days ago that Troy actually attended the same school she had found herself in, she had avoided thinking about him. _Tried_ to avoid thinking about him, she corrected herself. It had been bad enough at school, where he seemed to be idolised by the entire student body. She felt like she couldn't enter a classroom without encountering a loud discussion about his sporting skills, or coming across a gaggle of girls sighing over his gorgeous baby blues, or coming face to face with some poster advertising a pep rally – with his picture front and centre, of course.

Fortunately, so far she had avoided the man himself.

But harder to elude was her subconscious. Night after night, she continued to dream about him, and she seemed totally unable to defend herself against this internal attack that her traitorous body had launched against her. Her dreams ranged from sweet to sultry, innocent to graphic, explicit to vague, but one thing remained constant – she could not escape them. Each night, as she closed her eyes and allowed the tranquillity of slumber to wash over her, she was simultaneously submerged in an ocean of emotions and purified sensuality, an ocean that tossed her abruptly to the surface and into a storm of doubt as her sleep finally faded with the night.

Although he was literally the man of her dreams, Gabriella continued to struggle with the image of him that had stubbornly ingrained itself in her conscious mind on her first day at East High. The effect of the collision of feelings she had experienced - the pure joy she had felt at finding him so close and so unexpectedly, with the horror at realising the many characteristics he apparently had in common with Rory - had been staggering.

She reached her locker and quickly twirled the numbers on the combination lock, still deep in thought. Part of her knew it was irrational to judge him based purely on the fact that he was a popular athlete. But the residue of pain left by Rory was still toxic enough to evoke this inner turmoil she'd been battling for the past couple of days.

Gabriella froze and her heart jumped into her throat as she suddenly heard a voice carrying clearly through the nearly empty halls. It was coming from the direction of the corridor that jutted off from the main hallway at a right angle, just a few feet from her locker.

"So I said, seriously man, you've got great technique. You just need to work on your free throws a little and you've got it."

Gabriella could feel the tattoo of blood pulsating through her veins as her heart raced wildly. She would know his voice anywhere. They hadn't spoken since that one night at the lodge, but she was very familiar with it. It was the same voice she heard every night in her dreams.

Gabriella's palms flew to her temples as she looked around wildly. She had to hide! She couldn't see him now, not when she hadn't figured out her own feelings yet. She needed to deal with her own feelings before she faced his astonishment at seeing her there at East High. Her eyes darted from side to side. To her left was an unyielding expanse of hallway, the walls lined with lockers. The view to the right was much the same. No classroom doorway was close enough for her to have a chance of making it there in the few seconds she had before he rounded the corner, and there was no crowd to hide behind.

Making a split second decision, Gabriella backed into her locker and, squishing her shoulders against the hard metal sides, carefully pulled the door closed in front of her. An instant later, Troy rounded the corner and stopped a mere foot from Gabriella's locker. Another voice spoke.

"I totally hear what you're saying, man. Hey, I've gotta go. My mom's making me help her to bake some stuff for my little sister's birthday party."

Through the slits in the door of her locker, Gabriella could see that the words were spoken by a tall dark skinned boy, with short cropped hair. Troy had his back partially turned to her, but she could see him wrinkle his nose.

"Sucks to be you, man."

Gabriella inhaled sharply as Troy leaned back casually, propping his shoulder against her locker door. Now only a thin sheet of metal separated the two of them. She held her breath, terrified that if she breathed normally the warm air would tickle the back of his neck, now only an inch away from her lips.

The other guy adjusted the backpack he had slung over one shoulder and suddenly looked uncomfortable. "I know. I can't believe she roped me into it. There's not much I wouldn't do to get out of it, trust me." He spoke quickly, the discomfort still evident in his voice. "Anyway, see you tomorrow dude. You coming to the party this weekend?"

"Another one?" Troy sounded surprised. "After Amy's massive bash last week? Whose is it this time?"

The other boy shrugged. "Some chick from homeroom. Does it really matter?" He slugged Troy in the shoulder with a light punch. "See you, dude."

"See you," Troy said. He raised his hand in a quick wave before he turned and started to jog away in the other direction.

Gabriella exhaled loudly, her head tipping backwards and thumping against the back of the locker as she relaxed. The insanity of the situation hit her and she began to giggle. Had she really just hidden in her locker to avoid a guy? She pushed open the door and manoeuvred her petite frame back out into the open, cautiously looking down the hallway in the direction Troy had taken. He was gone. She grinned, shaking her head at herself, and grabbed her books she would need for her homework before she headed home.

* * *

Troy lay asleep on his back in his darkened bedroom, his chest bare, the sheet twisted around his sculpted torso. His right arm was bent at the elbow and his hand lay palm up, fingers lightly curled, on the pillow next to his face. His soft breathing was barely audible in the almost silent room, accompanied by the muted sound of crickets outside.

Troy's lashes, small inky crescents resting lightly on his cheeks, began to flutter. First just a twitch; then a few seconds later, a couple more. His breathing deepened as he began to dream...

_Troy straightened his back as the door down the far end of the church opened slowly. His gaze glossed over the two small girls who entered first, dainty fairies in satin and tulle sprinkling rose petals as they walked. Next, two radiant young women walked out, side by side, in matching pale lavender satin gowns. He dismissed them from his thoughts impatiently. There was only one woman he wanted to see._

_The flower girls and bridesmaids reached the altar and took their places opposite Troy and his groomsmen. Troy was barely aware of their presence because at that moment, the gentle violin music changed and the opening strains of "Here Comes the Bride" filled the small chapel. _

_Troy's heart stopped as he saw her standing there, a goddess in a gown of white. The pale satin of her gown clung to her upper arms with slender puffs that barely grazed the edges of her shoulders, and dipped down to mould itself to her breasts. The dress hugged her slender stomach before it flared lightly at her hips, dropping in gentle folds to her dainty, high-heeled sandals._

_Gabriella smiled at him lovingly, excitement and joy and love radiating from her in palpable waves. She took a deep breath and, clutching her heady bouquet of flowers, took her first step towards him. _

_Suddenly the scenery seemed to shift dramatically and Troy realised he was in a hospital. In a delivery room, to be precise. Gabriella, the woman he knew was his wife, clutched his hand. Sweat streamed from her beautiful features that were crumpled with agony. Troy leaned over to kiss her temple._

"_Come on, honey, almost there-"_

_As he spoke, the doctor at the bottom of the bed raised his head. "Okay Gabriella, this is it. One last push for me. When I tell you, all right?"_

_Gabriella nodded, unable to speak as she tried to catch her breath between contractions. Suddenly she gripped Troy's hand with renewed force._

"_Now, Gabriella!" the doctor urged. _

_Troy stroked Gabriella's hair, kissed her hand, whispered encouragement, trying to lend her his strength as she pushed through the ordeal of childbirth. Suddenly a tiny mewl, hardly louder than that of a kitten, filled the room._

"_Congratulations, Gabriella and Troy! You have a daughter!" Triumphantly, the doctor held up their little girl as a nurse quickly tucked a blanket around her. The bloody, screaming blob was the most beautiful sight Troy had ever seen. Besides her mother, he thought, tears of joy pricking at his eyes. _

_The doctor looked at Troy expectantly. "Would you like to cut the cord?" _

_Abruptly, the walls of the hospital, the doctor, even the baby and Gabriella, faded away, and Troy found himself standing at the railing on the deck of a large ship. Around him, many excited people in garish holiday outfits waved joyfully at a larger crowd that had remained on shore. Several large banners were peppered through the hoard of people on the dock, including a colourful, hand painted sign that he recognised. _

_BON VOYAGE NANA GABI AND POPPA TROY!_

_He turned to his wife of almost thirty years and smiled. This was it; their retirement present to each other. The round-the-world cruise they had always promised each other. _

_Hand in hand, Troy and Gabriella raised their arms and waved to their family. Their son, two daughters, son in law, and three beautiful grandchildren. The ship began to pull away slowly, and the middle aged couple remained at the rail, waving and smiling frantically._

Troy slowly opened his eyes and found himself gazing at the ceiling.

Gabriella again.

The dreams were getting more and more intense, more and more vivid. Something that had started out as simple crush was rapidly spinning out of control.

He sighed as he rolled over to his side, thinking. He still hadn't gotten around to emailing her. No. If he was honest with himself, it wasn't that. That phrasing implied that he hadn't had the time. In reality, he had been held back by fear.

Fear of her rejection. The inevitable rejection that would follow any instigation of any kind of relationship on his part, because she was already _in_ a relationship.

He groaned with frustration. Why was it so impossible for him to just forget her? Why did she have such a firm hold on him?

Suddenly, he made a decision. There was no other solution. Nothing else to do but to put himself out there and let her reject him. Maybe then he'd be able to get through a single night without being haunted by her. By her beauty. By the feelings she inspired in him. The admiration. The attraction. The wonderment. The passion -

He hauled himself out of bed and over to his desk. He booted up the computer and within a short time was connected to the internet. He found her myspace page - a simple task, since he'd added her page to his favourites – and started to compose a message to her.

He got as far as "Hi Gabriella" before he stopped. He chewed his lip. What was he supposed to say?

He started to type again.

"I don't know if you remember me but we met on New Year's Eve at the lodge. I was going to call you but I've lost your number. I really had a great time and I'd like to talk to you again sometime. Maybe you could email me, or call me if you still have my number. If you want. Or don't, it's cool if you don't want to."

Troy hesitated. He usually wasn't so unsure of himself. It was just so nerve wracking. He re-read what he'd written. Was that okay? Or did he sound like some kind of crazed ski lodge stalker? He shook his head. Second-guessing himself was not going to help. Quickly, he typed his name at the bottom of the page, and moved his mouse cursor until it hovered over the send button.

Another wave of doubt crashed over him. He paused.

Suddenly, decisively, he clicked the mouse button.

For better or worse, Troy's message to Gabriella was sent.

* * *

**Okay, so I know Troy's dream was cheesy. I don't know what the hell guys dream about! Just humour me and call it creative license :)**

**If you review I'll love you forever and ever...**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: I'm going to keep this short but I just want to apologise for taking so long to update! Life kinda got in the way :D but thank you to all of you who emailed/pm'd with your encoragement.**

**This chapter is dedicated to Peebey - my muse :D**

* * *

By Friday afternoon, Troy found it hard to believe that he'd actually just gotten back from vacation. Between basketball practice, school, homework and various social commitments, it had been a draining week.

Troy slammed his locker door shut after last period Friday. He got a certain amount of satisfaction from the resounding clang that echoed with finality through the hall, signalling the end of classes for two days. Picking up his red sports bag, he turned to walk away and almost collided with a blinding mass of glitter, sparkly pink fabric and blonde curls.

"Hi Troy!" Sharpay exclaimed.

Troy cringed inwardly. "Hey Sharpay," he said easily, instantly manufacturing a friendly smile and pasting it to his face. It wasn't so much that he didn't like the girl; it was just that she was so damn aggressive about everything. Even the way she expressed her obvious feelings for him was aggressive.

As if to illustrate the point even as it crossed Troy's mind, Sharpay leaned closer to him and allowed the pink nail of her slender index finger to slowly trace its way along his sternum. Troy glanced down at her finger, before looking her in the eyes disbelievingly. Was she for real?

Clearing his throat, Troy took a step back. "So what's up, Sharpay?" His tone was a shade less friendly than it had been a moment beforehand. He really disliked the shallow fawning that so many people – okay, girls – seemed to think came with his role as high profile captain of the basketball team.

Oblivious to Troy's tone, Sharpay clasped her hands in front of her hips and gazed up at him, her brown eyes wide. Her tone dripped with syrupy innocence. "I just wanted to say hi, Troy. And maybe see..." She dropped her eyes, gazing up at him through her lowered lashes.

Troy sighed, holding onto his patience with difficulty. With effort, his voice remained normal. "See what?" Even to himself, his words sounded sharp, and he forced a grin to soften them a little.

"I just wondered what you were doing tonight. You know, I was wondering if you were going to the party."

Troy rubbed the back of his neck with his right hand. "Uh, yeah. I guess I'm going. I don't really know yet."

"We could go together," Sharpay suggested. Her tone implied that any refusal on his part, apart from being unacceptable, was totally inconceivable.

"Um, I think I have this thing already organised...you know, with the guys. We were going to meet up before and go from there. Uh, I gotta go."

Without giving Sharpay a chance to respond, Troy tossed her a quick, casual wave and took off down the hallway.

"Okay, well, call me!" Sharpay cooed after him, ignorant or uncaring of the brush-off she'd just received. Her smile faded as Troy rounded the corner. Dipping into her purse, she withdrew her small compact and opened it to examine herself in its mirror. A cursory inspection confirmed what she already knew. She looked fabulous. And she would get what she wanted.

Sharpay Evans always did.

* * *

Friday afternoon found Gabriella sitting on Taylor's bed, ostensibly studying the text that lay open on her lap. In reality she was staring out the window, thinking about Troy.

Suddenly Taylor's hand waving in front of her face jolted her from her reverie. "Huh?" she asked, confused.

"What's with you? I just asked you the same question twice and you were obviously somewhere else completely." Taylor's tone was curious. She had already learned that Gabriella was normally supremely focused when she studied and this was therefore an interesting anomaly.

Gabriella smiled guiltily. "Sorry. What did you say?"

"I asked you what your plans were for this evening," Taylor said, still looking thoughtfully at Gabriella. She had a reasonable hypothesis regarding what might have drawn her friend's thoughts from her book.

"Oh! Nothing much, I guess. I was going to get started on the physics assignment if I had enough time tonight, after I've done the reading for English Lit."

Taylor gave an exasperated sigh. "Gabriella, it may have escaped your attention, but you are sixteen! Not twenty five and studying for a doctorate."

Gabriella raised her eyebrows. "What's wrong with a little dedication?"

Taylor smiled. "A little – nothing. But you've elevated dedication to new heights. One might even begin to toy with the word...obsession...?" She let her sentence trail off playfully.

The ribbing was good natured, and Gabriella knew it. "Oh, like you're any better, McKessie."

"My point exactly. Which is why I'm proposing a little entertainment tonight," Taylor proclaimed grandly.

"Hmm. Sounds interesting," Gabriella teased. "I just really can't make it, I have to get my physics at least started-"

Taylor sat up straight. "Tell me you're not serious. We were only given that assignment this afternoon! You have almost a month to get it done, and we both know you'll ace it anyway!"

Gabriella grinned. "Relax. I'm kidding! What did you have in –"

A gentle knock at Taylor's door interrupted them.

"Come in," Taylor called. A moment later, her mother stuck her head around the door.

"Hi, girls. How's the study coming?"

Seeing Mrs McKessie was like looking into the future. Looking at her, one could get a pretty good idea of what Taylor would look like in thirty years' time. The two women shared the same defined features, high brow, and intelligent expression.

"We're going well," Taylor said, answering her mother's question. "We're almost done with this-"she held up her text "-and then we were thinking about heading out for a while."

"Glad to hear it," Mrs McKessie smiled. She was unfailingly proud of her daughter's academic achievements but could not help worrying a little that her single-minded focus might be depriving her of the enjoyment of normal teenage activities. "Taylor honey, I was wondering if you might be able to come downstairs for a moment." She smiled apologetically at Gabriella before turning back to her daughter. "I have to leave for work soon and I want to show you what I've arranged for dinner."

"Of course," Taylor said, hopping off the bed. "I'll be right back," she said over her shoulder, as she left the room.

"And I'll see you again soon, Gabriella," Mrs McKessie said.

"Have a nice evening, Mrs McKessie," Gabriella smiled. She heard the light tread on the stairs as the two women descended, and turned back to her notebook.

The song that had been playing softly on Taylor's iPod ended, the tunes fading slowly, and there was a moment's silence before the opening music to the next song caught Gabriella's attention. It was one of her current favourite songs.

I remember the day I first met you

I was ready for nothing

Didn't know I was looking for rescue

I wasn't thinking that hard

Now and then I was there in the moment

I was ready for nothing

Doesn't mean that I really don't love you

While I'm breaking your heart

Totally unbidden, an image of Troy sprang to mind. In so many ways this song reminded her of him – the way she had felt about him, and the way her past experience with Rory was affecting her feelings for him now. Almost without noticing, she began to sing along softly, staring dreamily out the window.

Don't ask why

Before we get too close just let me

Say goodbye

It's easier this way

Don't ask why

Before you ask the question and I

Die inside

Just let me walk away

She wished it were that easy. If only she could walk away from it all – from Troy, from her feelings for him. Her voice became stronger, swelling with emotion as she sang the next words.

I know I want this more than ever

I wish there was another way

You see my words can only hurt you

'Til his shadow fades away

Taylor looked at her friend admiringly. "I didn't know you could sing," she said.

Gabriella jumped. She had been so absorbed in her thoughts, in the song, that she hadn't heard Taylor come back. Immediately Gabriella became embarrassed. "I don't. Sorry. I just like this song and I didn't mean-"

"Gabriella. Relax. You're really good. Why are you so embarrassed?"

Gabriella ducked her head, her cheeks pink. "I used to sing church choir but ... it's really hard for me to sing in front of people."

Taylor noticed her blush. "Hey, I really liked the way you sang. Don't be shy. You have a wonderful talent; it's not something to be embarrassed about."

Gabriella shrugged off her praise. "I just love this song and I kinda forgot where I was." She desperately hoped that Taylor would not guess that her embarrassment had more to do with the feelings within herself that the song had provoked – and specifically, thoughts of Troy. The girls had briefly discussed the events of New Years Eve, but a combination of Taylor's distaste for the school's sportsmen in general and Gabriella's reluctance to delve into her whirlwind of feelings regarding the whole situation had prevented any prolonged discussion. Gabriella smiled and smoothly changed the subject. "And I love this singer. She's awesome."

Taylor grinned. "She's alright. I personally prefer that boy of hers. He's, well – to revert to cheerleader speak - hot!"

"He is that," Gabriella conceded.

A thoughtful look crossed Taylor's features. "Hey, you know what? I never really thought about it before but he really bears a strong resemblance to-"

Gabriella cut her off. "He does not! Don't even say it."

Taylor held up her hands. "Okay, whatever you say. But ... you know he does!"

"Shh!!" Gabriella insisted. "Did I not ban you from talking about Troy?"

Taylor chuckled. "Yeah, you did. Too bad you haven't managed to ban yourself from thinking about him."

Gabriella's mouth dropped open. Apparently Taylor had guessed what had caused the emotion behind her song. "How do you know what I think about?" A guilty flush spread across her cheeks.

Taylor patted her arm with playful condescension. She shook her head slowly. "Gabriella. Sweet, innocent Gabriella. A blind man would know what you're thinking when you space out. Your eyes kinda glaze over and you start to smile a little – "

Gabriella was mortified. "What? I do not!"

"And the way you're denying it now," Taylor continued. "So cute. So high school."

Gabriella tossed the nearest pillow at Taylor's head. "Stop!" she demanded, giggling.

"And I'm not going to blame you. You can't control your hormones. I'm sure there's some kind of in-depth physical response to his pheromones that's responsible for this." Taylor mused, only half-teasing now.

"Whatever," Gabriella said, deciding that an immediate change of subject was called for. "So going back to what you were saying before – what did you have in mind for tonight?"

Taylor sat back down on the bed. "Well...it's nothing big but Kelly – have you met Kelly yet? She's in my homeroom and she takes the same English Lit class as us."

Gabriella frowned, trying to remember. "She's the blonde in the back row, isn't she? The one who has totally inaccurate ideas about the basis of Jane Austen's early attempts at Pride and Prejudice. When she made that comment yesterday I really wanted to correct her but-"

Taylor grinned. "Of course you remember her for that. Anyway. She's having a small gathering tonight and she asked me if I wanted to come along. I'm sure she wouldn't mind if you came too."

Gabriella looked at her doubtfully. "What kind of gathering?"

Taylor waved her hand dismissively. "Oh, you know. The usual. Just a few of us getting together for nachos and DVDs."

"That sounds okay," Gabriella said cautiously. Although she wouldn't admit it to Taylor, she was deliberately avoiding any social event where there was a risk of her running into Troy. Not until she'd figured out what was going on in her own head. Between the dreams, the residual hurt from Rory, and the undeniable attraction she'd felt for him since the moment they'd met, and her still-present shock at finding herself at his school, she'd been in constant turmoil.

"And maybe some SingStar," Taylor added innocently.

Gabriella kept her features neutral, refusing to be goaded. "Or not. Okay. I guess if it's just going to be a quiet night, just a small group of people, it sounds okay."

Taylor nodded. "Great. So do you want to stay for dinner? And we can go over together later."

"Sure," Gabriella agreed. "Just let me call my mom."

* * *

After dinner on Friday, Troy walked quickly over to Chad's house, where the boys had agreed to meet. Troy wasn't sure himself exactly where they were going; he had more or less agreed to go merely as a way to keep himself occupied and avoid any time for introspection regarding Gabriella. He tried not to think about the fact that she hadn't responded to his message yet; it had only been two days, not really long enough to consider himself rejected. Arriving at Chad's door he rapped on it lightly and firmly put Gabriella out of his mind.

The door opened, revealing Chad's mother standing in the pool of light spilling from behind her. "Hi Troy," she greeted him.

Troy grinned. "Hi, Mrs Danforth."

Chad's mother stepped to one side, gesturing for Troy to come on in. "And what mischief would you two happen to have planned for this evening?" she teased, with the ease of a relationship long established.

Troy put on his best fake innocent expression. "None at all, Mrs D," he responded.

"Right," she chuckled. "You'll find Chad upstairs. You know the way."

"Sure do," Troy said, heading swiftly upstairs. Taking the stairs two at a time he was shortly standing outside Chad's room; Chad, however, was nowhere to be seen. Unperturbed, Troy took a seat at the foot of his bed and, leaning over, flicked on his PS2 and made himself at home.

Only a few minutes passed before Chad appeared at the door, rubbing his wiry hair with a towel, obviously fresh from the shower. He was clad in only a pair of black jeans, his feet bare.

"Sup, dude," he greeted Troy casually. Troy looked up.

"Hey man," he said. He paused his game and pushed the control away, turning to face Chad. Or to be precise, Chad's back. Chad's face was at that moment buried in the second drawer of a tall walnut dresser as he rummaged around for a particular shirt.

"So what's actually going on tonight?" Troy asked curiously. Chad didn't turn around, still busily searching for his shirt. Or any shirt, really, that wasn't too crumpled or completely unsuitable.

"A party, man," he answered, as if it were obvious.

"I know that," Troy said impatiently. "Whose party? I asked Zeke earlier and he didn't really seem to know."

"Uh," Chad said, before suddenly plucking a green t-shirt from the drawer. "Some girl. Not really sure."

"What?" Troy said, surprised. "How do we get invited to a party thrown by someone we don't even know?" He watched Chad for a moment, noting how his friend deliberately avoided meeting his gaze. Which was all he needed to confirm his suspicions.

"Chad! We were actually invited, right?"

"Not as such," Chad said delicately. "It's more of an...impromptu party."

"Chad," Troy said patiently, "You can't plan an impromptu party. And this was obviously planned 'cause Baylor knew about it Wednesday."

Chad's voice was muffled as he spoke while pulling the shirt over his head. "Dude, we do know her. She's that chick from homeroom who sits next to Cross." His head popped free, causing his curls to bounce a little. "The blonde chick."

"Okay," said Troy, playing along. "So this impromptu party that we're not invited to but still permitted to attend, hosted by a girl whose name you don't even know...what's it for?"

"Who knows?" Chad shrugged.

"Chad. Does she know we're coming?" Troy asked bluntly.

Chad grinned. "Don't know. All I know is there's a party and everyone's invited. Her parents are out of town for the weekend so..."

Troy nodded. "Gotcha." As much as he wasn't the party-crashing type, he felt an intense need to just let go tonight, find something to focus on besides Gabriella. A party crowded with Wildcats in no doubt various stages of sobriety sounded perfect.

Slipping into a pair of sneakers, Chad picked his keys and cell up from the nightstand, stuffing them in his pocket.

"So you ready to go, Bolton?' he asked.

"Let's do it," Troy responded briefly, hitting the light switch as they left the room.

* * *

The deep thud of the music baseline could be clearly heard from half a block away. The nucleus of the Wildcats varsity basketball team – Chad, Troy, Zeke and Jason – loped along at a fast pace, walking two abreast on the semi-lit sidewalk. Zeke and Chad were in front, arguing loudly about the pros and cons of the Knights defence, while Troy and Jason were several feet behind. They had been chatting randomly until a few minutes ago, but Jason had seemed distracted so Troy had left him to his thoughts. Which left Troy to his own.

His mind began to drift, thinking back to the message he had sent to Gabriella. He still wasn't sure that he'd done the right thing. Of course he wanted to contact her but...something about it just didn't seem right.

Suddenly realising they had arrived at the party, Troy collected himself. The whole point of the evening was to enjoy himself, and forget about her. That was it. Nothing more, nothing less.

The four boys walked into the front yard of the house hosting the party – her name was Kelly, Troy remembered now – and within moments became surrounded by the crowd of people offering greetings and complicated handshakes.

Finally Troy managed to push his way inside, standing at the door for a moment to get his bearings. It appeared that the drinks were being dispensed in the far corner of the living room, with a keg and coolers set up. Someone had set up a massive sound system on the opposite side of the room, near the doorway leading to the entryway. The entire house was packed with young people, mostly East High sophomores and juniors.

Stuffing his hands into the pockets of his jeans, Troy drifted through the house, making his customary circuit of the party to establish what was going on where. He had just passed through the kitchen when he stopped dead, spotting a familiar blonde figure just in front of him. Mercifully she appeared to be engrossed in examining her nails and pretending boredom at the fawning of several football players who were gathered around her.

Keeping his eyes averted so as not to accidentally make eye contact, Troy took several steps sideways and made to slide around the corner into the dining room. He almost made it when he heard a familiar shrill voice cut through the noise of the party.

"Troy!"

Troy cursed under his breath before he reluctantly turned to face Sharpay.

"Hey Sharpay," Troy said. He forced himself to tug the corners of his mouth upwards in some semblance of a smile. He knew he should really give her a chance. After all, she was just being herself. They had known each other since they were kids. He owed her his friendship at the very least.

Dismissing her posse of admirers with a flick of her wrist, Sharpay sashayed over to Troy. She kept coming towards him until she was uncomfortably close. Troy took a few steps backwards, until he bumped into the wall behind him.

"Did you miss me?" Sharpay asked, keeping her voice intimate and breathy.

And there it was. The reason why Troy had taken to avoiding her.

"Uh," Troy stalled, looking around, hoping to see someone who would help him extract him from this without offending her. "I just saw you this afternoon," he tried.

Sharpay pouted. "For like a minute. We just don't see enough of each other, Troy." She fixed her gaze on him, trying to force him to look at her.

Troy looked back at her, panicking a little at the determination and infatuation he saw in her large brown eyes. Out of desperation, he grabbed her upper arms and half lifted, half pushed her to one side.

"Sharpay-"

The expression in Sharpay's eyes went from seductive to injured in one quick, practiced move. "What's wrong, Troy? Can't a girl try to get to know you a little better?"

Troy raked his hand through his hair, desperately uncomfortable with the whole situation. "It's not that, Sharpay, it's...uh – "

Fortunately he was spared the awkwardness of trying to find the right words by the sudden appearance of Ryan.

"Sharpay!" her twin exclaimed. "I've been looking for you all over!"

"I'm a little busy, Ryan!" Sharpay hissed, taking her eyes off Troy for a moment to reprimand her brother.

Troy broke into a grin, the first sign of genuine pleasure he'd showed since he'd spotted Sharpay.

"It's all good, Sharpay. I've actually gotta go...over there..." Troy's sentence trailed off and he made a quick escape, sending a silent apology to Ryan for leaving him stranded in what was obviously the opening stage of a temper tantrum. Troy slipped out the back door to avoid being drawn into it.

For the second time that evening, he stopped suddenly, this time almost literally shocked senseless.

For a moment he didn't believe his own eyes. He willed her to turn around so that he could be sure, knowing even as he formed the thought that he was already positive.

It was her. _Gabriella!_

Troy's head spun. He was totally unable to put a coherent thought together. What was she doing here? And why? How?

After a moment his heart began to beat again, albeit erratically. How was it possible that the focus of almost every one of his waking moments was here, in Albuquerque, at a Wildcats party?

****************

Gabriella winced as she heard the sound of a glass smashing in the house behind her. Putting it out of her mind, she turned to the petite blonde girl who was crouched on the grass in front of her, apparently in the midst of a panic attack.

"What the hell am I going to tell my parents? I don't even know most of these people!" Kelly half whispered. Her voice was already hoarse from the hysterics she'd gone into earlier when a horde of East High students had arrived with kegs of beer and a sound system. The 'quiet gathering' had snowballed from there.

Taylor was kneeling on the grass beside her, her arms around Kelly's shoulders.

"It's gonna be okay, Kelly," she soothed, shooting a look at Gabriella. The look clearly expressed her bewilderment at the unexpected turn of events. Gabriella understood her feelings perfectly. None of them had been able to figure out how word had gotten out that Kelly's parents were out of town, nor who had been responsible for suggesting that there was an 'open' party being held.

"Gabriella," Taylor said in a low voice, over the top of Kelly's head. "Could you get us a glass of water? I think it would help."

"Sure," Gabriella said, grateful to have to opportunity to do something constructive. "I'll be right back."

She spun on the ball of her foot, turning back to the house –

- and abruptly found herself face to face with the one person she had sought to avoid for the past week.

************************

As Troy stood at the open door to the back patio, staring at Gabriella's back, she turned to come inside and caught sight of him. Her reaction was an almost exact mirror of his a few moments ago; she suddenly froze and appeared to stop breathing. Her eyes widened with shock and he knew what she was experiencing; he was still dealing with the sensation himself.

As if drawn together by a powerful unseen force, Gabriella and Troy walked towards each other, meeting in the soft pool of light just outside the kitchen door. Troy could not recall later how he had managed to put one foot in front of the other; his legs were rubbery from the shock. To go from missing her, wanting her, dreaming about her – to having her right here. It was too much for him to comprehend.

Gabriella's heart literally stopped beating when she caught sight of Troy. She had known it was inevitable that they would meet at some point; even so, she was totally unprepared for the tidal wave of feelings that slammed into her when turned around and saw him looking at her.

Without thinking, she responded to the invisible pull drawing her towards him. At that moment she felt as though she could no more walk away from him than cut off her right hand.

They stopped when they were barely two feet apart. Then, at that moment, as they stood staring at each other in stunned silence, a passing horde of teenage boys knocked Gabriella into Troy's arms and closed the distance between them entirely.

Gabriella's breath caught as she half stood, enveloped in his strong arms. They were yet to say anything, yet their eyes said it all. She had thought that she needed space from him to find some answers; only now did she realise that the answers she sought were here with him.

Gabriella struggled to collect her thoughts and realised it was a pointless endeavour while she remained so close to Troy that she could literally feel the heat of his body. She gently pushed him away and regained her feet, straightening her top as she did so.

"Gabriella...how...?" Troy struggled to speak, the emotion clear on his face.

"Shh....not here." Gabriella said quietly. They had so much to say to each other. "Let's find somewhere to talk."

Wordlessly, Troy took her hand and led her back through the house, stopping only to grab their jackets, and out into the night.


End file.
